The Burnt Rose
by Absurd Aim
Summary: (Future team RWBY au) 'As the last few rounds tore into the long dead creature of Grimm, turning it ever more into an indistinguishable pile of gore, a tortured scream ripped from her. Ruby stumbled back, her lungs fighting a battle of their own as she panted for air. Faint wetness could be felt on her left cheek as the ghost of impossible tears slid down her right. ... "Why?"'
1. Meeting

Author's Notes: AU isn't mine (Funblade on tumblr), and I had some peeps read it to begin with. Also it isn't completed

* * *

**The Burnt Rose**

-**Prologue**-

Vale sat in darkness, the sparse clouds adding a foreboding aura to the city. On a hill in the outskirts sat a small growth of trees, concealing within a lone beowolf.

The creature of Grimm looked down the hill at the city. In its gut it felt the urge to fight and to kill. It thirsted for blood and hungered for flesh, longing for the taste of weak humans. But despite this overwhelming desire, the monster could not act upon it. In its mind there was a voice, and it controlled whatever it was that held the beast captive. The voice whispered _No!_

Anger! The brute felt pure rage tear through its body, burning away all other thoughts. All thoughts but the quiet, controlling voice that continued to murmur its command, _No!_ So the beowolf stood there, fixed in the same spot, gazing down at the city with useless loathing.

After an unknown amount of time, the snap of a twig sounded from behind. Turning its head, the monster surveyed the patch of trees, finding nothing of interest. Just as it returned to staring at Vale, something slammed into its side, sending it crashing to the ground several feet off. Looking down, the brute saw that its right arm was gone and blood was leaking out onto the grass. The expected pain never came, but a frustration so overpowering came into its mind.

Scrambling up, it looked for the attacker and found it. Standing ten meters off, with its head covered, was a human bathed in red, rippling in the breeze. A growl began to build in the back of the beast's throat as the subtle voice said, _Kill her!_

The creature of Grimm sprinted at the human, its remaining arm coming up to swipe. Just as it swung the attacker disappeared, leaving flakes of cerise bleeding from the air. Looking around again, the beowolf took a step back, trying to locate the crimson foe.

From behind the monster there was a swift clicking sound and then the cold of a curved blade was felt on its kneecaps. A loud bang reverberated throughout the trees as the blade tore through flesh, muscle, and bone.

On its back now, the creature growled in anger and persistent frustration as it flailed the remaining arm. The scarlet human approached the beowolf, pressing the thrashing limb into the ground with a foot. The face of the human was divided; one half appeared normal while the other was shrouded in black.

"You're pretty tough, I'll give you that. It's like you didn't even feel any of that." The brute gave another growl as it attempted to continue the fight. "Shut up!" the rose colored human snarled as it pressed something hard and cold to the head of the beast. The final howl from the creature of Grimm was cut short by a second loud bang.

_Part One_: Meeting

-**Weiss**-

The corporate building for Schnee Dust stood dark beneath the black, scattered clouds that covered Vale. All the windows were painted with the same opacity, all but one, the highest and largest.

All that could be heard in the CEO's office was the clacking of a keyboard and the rustling of papers. Documents covered a large white desk that stood near the window and behind sat a similarly colored chair. Working determinedly at the desk was a young woman, long hair matching the ivory theme of the room.

Weiss Schnee – owner and boss of the Schnee Dust Company – sat quietly as she reviewed reports brought in from several different departments. Her eyes flashed from side to side as her left hand rested on a keyboard, occasionally typing something out with lightning speed. At twenty-three, Weiss was the youngest head of the company in its history, attesting to her intellect and determination. She pushed herself to the limit almost every day and demanded the best results from her employees.

How long she had been there, Weiss wasn't sure. Some part of her knew that it was passed work hours, but she didn't care. She didn't want to go home right then, because that would bring her even closer to tomorrow and the inevitable encounter it brought with it. As that thought flicked through her consciousness, Weiss cringed internally.

Just then there was a knock at her office doors. Weiss raised her head in a jerk, flinching as the movement caused her previously dormant headache to flare up. _Who the…?_ Weiss took a sip of room temperature water before calling out. "Come in!"

One of the doors opened and in stepped a familiar figure. The black trench coat Blake wore swirled around her long legs as she stepped into the office. "What a surprise," She said, sounding both sarcastic and disinterested.

Weiss furrowed her brow, setting down the glass of water. "What are you still doing here?"

She began to walk towards the white desk, "Don't act so confused, you know it's my job." Dropping into a cushy chair, Blake sighed from exhaustion. Weiss leaned back in her own seat, slightly annoyed at the other woman's bluntness. "Everyone's been gone for almost two hours. It's just you and me." She ran her fingers through her hair, sleeking it back between the black cat ears that stuck up from the top of her head.

Weiss felt the smallest twinge of guilt at making Blake remain after hours for so long. "I've been going over these reports,"

Blake closed her eyes as she leaned her head back. "Yeah, _that's_ the reason you're still here."

Weiss was confused, Blake sounded as though she didn't trust a word of her excuse. "Excuse me?"

Blake looked at her then, a slight smile turning up her lips. "You expect me to believe that you're still here because of some stupid reports?"

Weiss felt as though her honor had been thrown into question, "Yes! Why does that shock you?"

"It's just..." Blake stopped, clearly considering how best to say what was on her mind. "You aren't _usually_ this dedicated to work at times like these."

Weiss knew what was meant by 'times like these' but still bristled at the accusation of laziness. "Do you mean to accuse me of not taking my job seriously at all times?"

Blake lost her slightly humorous expression, "I mean to _accuse_ you of being in love."

Weiss crossed her arms in annoyance and looked away from Blake, who continued to speak. "Whenever Ruby is on her way back from a hunt you're always more… Agitated. You try to get out of here as soon as possible, even though she won't be back until the next morning."

Relaxing slightly, Weiss considered her words. She was right, whenever Ruby was supposed to show up the following day Weiss would cut meetings short, postpone inspections or simply call an end to the workday, even if it was only noon. She simply couldn't focus on what needed to be done those days. _It's _my_ damn company; I'll do what I want!_

Today, however, Weiss hadn't been looking forward to her meeting with Ruby. This time might not be as happy a reunion as all the rest. For the first time in two years, Weiss planned to make a demand and she doubted Ruby would take it well. Not wanting to admit how close to the mark Blake was, Weiss said, "Perhaps I've changed over the years."

"Perhaps," Blake said, "But I doubt it." Weiss rolled her eyes and put her hand to her head. "If there's one thing I know about you, Weiss Schnee, it's that you are stubborn to the point of frustration. It'll take something extreme to change any part of you, and I'm pretty sure your feelings towards Ruby are immutable. So my guess is there's some real reason you're still here, not just for some silly reports."

Weiss exhaled once more. So far, this conversation was not to her liking. "I guess I'm just anxious about our meeting tomorrow." While Weiss meant her personal meeting with Ruby, Blake would assume she meant the slightly larger one planned for the following morning.

A few days back, Weiss had called a gathering between all of team RWBY, which was why the young leader was coming home. Her hunt wasn't scheduled to end for another two weeks but at Weiss' behest it was called off early. _Still comes when she's called_. There was information that she needed to give her teammates, and it wasn't likely to make any of them happy.

Blake frowned as if in thought, "And you still won't tell me what that's all about?"

Weiss shook her head, "I'd rather wait for everyone to be there. It's not something I'd like to repeat." Blake took that answer quietly.

For just over a minute they sat in silence, until Weiss noticed a package in Blake's hands. "What's that?"

Blake looked down, "Oh yeah, this came in for you in the mail. I was going to give it to you as you left but..." She passed the parcel across the desk, giving a shrug.

"I assume its explosive free," Weiss said with a smile.

"One hundred percent clean, I examined it myself."

Weiss raised an eyebrow, "Really, the famous SDC head of security is willing to lower herself to opening the mail?"

Blake laughed, "No, I leave that kind of grunt work for the less fortunate. But all mail addressed personally to _you_ gets sent to me. I take the security of our CEO _very_ seriously."

Weiss felt slightly shocked by her words. Blake had proven a good friend and a valuable bodyguard. She had always been there when Weiss needed to talk, or else when her life was in danger – as the head of the SDC was often found in harm's way. But the fact that she even handled simple things like the mail showed just how good a person Blake was, not to mention how dedicated she herself was.

Looking at the return address, Weiss immediately knew what was inside. She'd ordered it over a week ago and had it sent here, only forgetting about it due to work. "Well thank you, I didn't know you took so much upon yourself."

Blake gave an unamused chuckle, "Like you'd have it any other way. I know better than most about your obsessive _perfection_ disorder."

Weiss' lips tightened into a hard line as she glared at Blake. "I am _hardly_ obsessive."

"But you do try to be perfect,"

"And why not? Even if perfection can't be fully achieved, why shouldn't we _strive_ for the closest thing possible?"

"Well I never said it was a bad thing," Blake said, somewhat defensively.

"Whatever," Weiss stood and stretched, having been cooped up in a chair for hours had left her muscled aching from disuse. "Let's go,"

The two of them left the room and began to make their way to garage at the bottom of the building. "You and I are scheduled to be out of the office tomorrow, so our meeting shouldn't be interrupted."

Weiss nodded as they continued to walk, "Will you and Yang be staying over tonight?"

As she pressed a button in the elevator, Blake said, "Yes, I was going to pick her up from her bar before heading over there."

After a while they made it to the garage. "Well, you have a key, so don't bother knocking when you get there."

"No problem," they walked off to two different limos parked parallel to each other. "What time is the meeting tomorrow morning?"

Weiss opened the car door, "Ruby should get there in the early morning, so whenever that is."

Blake grinned, sleeking her hair back once more. "Yang and I _should_ be down in time, 'see ya then!" she got into her limo as Weiss did the same.

Weiss sat silently, her mind beginning to wander as the driver directed the limo to the Schnee Manor. The package received from Blake sat in her lap. Inside was a gift she'd had special made for Ruby. It was meant as a welcome home present but as she considered the demand she planned to place before Ruby, Weiss wasn't sure if she would accept it.

Ever since their graduation two years previous, Ruby had left constantly to go hunting throughout the four kingdoms of Remnant. She would leave for weeks at a time – sometimes for over a month – and would come back only for short breaks. The occasions when Ruby spent a long period of time in Vale were few and far between. Mostly they were no longer than a few days visit.

On her last return she'd missed Blake and Yang, who'd been out of town on a short vacation. Ruby seemed honestly upset about that, but had still refused when Weiss asked if she'd stay a bit longer with the hopes of seeing them. _'I can't,'_ she would say, claiming it was her duty to help people.

Whenever Ruby came home, Weiss would forget how angry she'd been at her for leaving. She almost lost her composure every time she saw the younger girl get off an airship. This had lasted for almost a year; eventually the novelty of those returns had worn off.

It became necessary for Ruby to coax responses out of Weiss as she had begun to be ignored upon her return. She told stupid jokes until Weiss would crack a faint smile. She would perform dangerous stunts to try and make Weiss reprimand her. She would hug Weiss until she was hugged back and she would kiss Weiss until she responded in kind.

All in all, Ruby was very determined and always got what she wanted. Weiss hated it. She was, of course, excited to see Ruby, but she didn't want the young leader to think she approved of her actions.

Weiss would always work out what to say in her mind before Ruby showed up. She would rehearse her arguments, coming up with perfectly legitimate reasons as to why she shouldn't go hunting. But when the time came she would forget about it until later.

On the times when Weiss remembered her protests she would simply complain that what Ruby did was dangerous. She'd state that she never charged enough to help people, that the Grimm should never be underestimated, that hunting alone is stupid and reckless and might possibly get her hurt. That thought _killed_ Weiss, but Ruby would just smile and tell her a new story from her latest trip.

The excited way Ruby would describe her excursions and adventures was something Weiss secretly looked forward to. She loved seeing Ruby happy, and soon, the thought of asking her to give it up became harder and harder to face. She had yet to put the request to her.

But after two years of it, two years of weeks spent alone with only short bursts of air to keep her alive, Weiss was finally going to do it. As soon as she saw Ruby, Weiss would make her demands and not give the young huntress the chance to beguile her into acceptance. _This time, _she_ listens!_

Weiss had her arms crossed with one hand in front of her face, a finger tracing the horizontal scar under her left eye. The gift she'd gotten for Ruby weighed heavily in her lap. Weiss wasn't sure whether or not Ruby would take it because she still didn't know how she'd react. She knew Ruby to be good-natured and willing to help but she _could_ be emotional at times. The thought of giving up hunting might very well put her in a bad mood, or worse, make her leave.

_She leaves me all the time, once more might not matter to her_. That thought gave Weiss a pang as she considered it.

Weiss closed her eyes, breathing in and out slowly. She emptied her mind of all worry and tried to focus on something simple. She thought of Myrtenaster, the feel of its handle, the weight of its blade, the sound of air being slashed as it was swung. Her sword was one of the few things she had _complete_ control over. After a while she opened her eyes and felt calmer than before. But the package still sat on her lap, making the feelings of uncertainty bubble just beneath the surface.

The Manor soon came into sight and after a while Weiss was walking through the doors. The tiredness from her late night began to make her lids droop as she walked up the ornate staircase in semi-darkness.

As she entered the room she shared with Ruby, Weiss shrugged off her cloak and jacket, draping them over the back of an armchair. She didn't bother turning on the lamp as the barely exposed moon from outside offered just enough light to make things visible.

Weiss walked up to the vanity mirror and sat down, putting her face in her hands as she exhaled. She had been in that position for almost a minute when gentle arms wrap around her shoulders from behind.

Weiss knew immediately who had grabbed her, especially since the sneak began to play with one of the straps that ran over her shoulders.

She heard a voice in her ear then, "I'm never gonna get over these red suspenders."

Weiss looked up into the mirror and locked eyes on Ruby. Her face was lowered so as to be right next to Weiss'. The nonchalant way she was addressed made her a bit angry, and Weiss felt the tirade she had prepped for this occasion rise to the forefront of her mind.

She cocked an eyebrow, "Seriously?"

Ruby's small grin slid off her face as she realized something was wrong. Weiss turned in her seat to face Ruby, who leaned back slightly, remaining in her crouched position.

Weiss studied her then. Ruby's red streaked hair – which she kept longer since their first year at Beacon – framed her face. Several strands stopped at her chin which Weiss stared at before moving on to her lips and then to her nose. She finished her examination by looking deep into the silver of her left eye, her _only_ eye.

From the edge of her hair to her jawline, the right side of Ruby's face was covered in a black patch. At its center was her red rose motif. Beneath the patch lay pain; pain not only for Ruby, but the entirety of their team, and especially Weiss.

Weiss always needed a minute to acclimate herself to Ruby's face. She _was_ beautiful, _My God, is she beautiful,_ but it was a constant reminder of things better left forgotten.

Just then Ruby spoke up, offering a reminder of her initial anger. "Um… Seriously what?"

-**Yang**-

The music in Yang's bar, The Sun-Drop Lounge, was loud and upbeat. However, the music was drowned out on occasion by the boisterous attendees. Yang was behind the bar, serving drinks and giving an infrequent flirt here and there. She was expecting Blake at any time, so she constantly looked at the front entrance.

The next morning was to be team RWBY's meeting. Ruby was supposed to be there, and the thought of seeing her little sister excited Yang. Just that morning, Blake had said that they were going to spend the night at the Schnee Manor. Yang didn't mind, Weiss' place was almost over the top on the luxury scale. Blake said she would be picking her up as soon as she got out of work, which should have been a couple of hours ago.

While Yang cleaned the hard wood of the bar and checked for Blake, some drunk dude hollered at her, "Hey sugar, why don't ya fill me up anotha glass?" Yang went to the man and looked at his empty glass, which had been refilled over ten times now.

"I think you've had enough bud, why don't you call it a night?" She picked up his empty cup and turned to put it away to be cleaned.

"How 'bout we both call it a night, eh?" He reached over the counter and attempted to touch her butt when out of nowhere there was a loud thud. An arrow pinning the man's sleeve to the wood had stopped the progress of his arm. Yang turned at the sound of the impact and looked for the shooter. Standing in the doorway, holding Gambol Shroud in its bow form, was Blake. A breeze from outside made the head of security's dark trench coat billow as she lowered her weapon.

"The only ass _you__'__re_ going to be handed tonight is your own." Blake said as the bow collapsed into a blade, which was then sheathed behind her back. The arrow she'd fired had been made of dust and it evaporated a second later. Yang grabbed the collar of the now 'freed' man, pulled him from his seat and threw him out the front doors past Blake. "Busy as ever I see," she said whilst running her fingers through her black mane.

"You're so hot when you do that!" Yang said, pulling her in for a quick kiss. Breaking apart, Yang shouted to the bunny eared girl that had been attending the bar with her. "Hey Velvet, I'm out. You can close up shop whenever you feel like it." Then Yang grabbed her coat from the rack on the wall and walked out with Blake. As they were getting into the limo Blake had arrived in, they clearly heard the bell signaling 'last call' coming from inside the Sun-Drop Lounge.

As the chauffeur drove, Blake and Yang wasted no time as they immediately got 'comfortable'. When Yang finally surfaced from their 'romantic interlude' she asked Blake, "So, what does the Ice Queen want to talk about?" As she spoke, she absentmindedly rubbed one of Blake's cat ears.

"She, um… She said that… That we'll, ngh…" Blake's eyes were closed, clearly distracted by Yang's fingers.

Smiling, Yang leaned in and breathed softly into her human ear, "She said that we'll what, dear?" Blake opened her amber eyes then and pulled her even closer.

"We'll find out tomorrow!" She said through an oddly husky voice. They then picked up where they had left off.

-**Ruby**-

Ruby had returned home to many different emotions from Weiss. For a the first year of her hunt, she would appear overjoyed. Once that had died down, she became reserved for the most part. It took effort from Ruby to make Weiss respond at all. Rarely did Ruby find her in a bad mood, and even less often was she the cause of it.

_This_ time, however, Weiss seamed oddly furious as she turned in her seat to glare more closely at her. For a moment, however, the rage that had been in her eyes vanished as she studied Ruby's face. Confused by her sudden switch from irate to passive, Ruby asked, "Seriously what?" With her words, the ivory haired woman seemed to remember that she was angry about something.

"You think coming home _one_ night early will make things better?" Her furious tone was scary. This slight bipolar attitude was really throwing Ruby for a loop.

"Better for what?" Questions like that would only make Weiss more upset, but Ruby still didn't understand, so she offered a nervous smile.

Letting out an exasperated breath, Weiss asked, "Do you even _remember_ the last time you were in Vale?"

"Of course!" Ruby perfectly remembered the short weekend spent in Vale just over a fortnight ago. Blake and Yang had been out of town, exacerbating the sensation of unease she had begun to feel during her last few hunts. Weiss had almost convinced her to remain longer to see the two other women, _almost_.

The uneasy feeling was an enigma to Ruby. She had no idea why, but her hunt had begun to drain on her, like it was taking more and more effort to keep her out there. Her thoughts would constantly stray back to Vale and her family, which became a bit of a distraction during fights with the Grimm. The message she'd gotten from Weiss asking her to return home early had actually come as a bit of a relief. So excited was Ruby to be home that she had left soon after, arriving one night before expected. But why this might upset Weiss was unknown to her.

Weiss stood and crossed her arms as she faced Ruby. "Well, _if_ you remember you'll have no trouble telling me what the last thing I said to you was, right before you got on that airship."

Ruby's stomach dropped. She didn't have to think back to the moment Weiss meant, because the words she had mumbled – almost inaudibly as she stared at the ground – had echoed in her mind ever since leaving. Ruby stood but looked down as she spoke, just as Weiss had done. "Don't go."

"And what did you do? You left!" Weiss' tone was accusing, her posture emphasizing the anger she felt. "You made me practically beg, and _still_ you left. You were barely here for two days and yet you _had_ to return to your hunt? How can you look me in the face and act like nothing could possibly be wrong after that? Sometimes I wonder what's more important to you."

At that Ruby looked up, brow furrowing in her own, less impressive, anger. "Hey! It's not like it was easy to leave you!" It hadn't been, when Ruby had heard those words it took all her will power to turn and walk onto that ship. _I don't even know why I did it._

"Then why'd you do it?"

_Great!_

"And don't tell me it's because of your duty as a huntress, I'm not taking that!" Weiss put her hands on her hips as she waited for an answer.

Sighing, Ruby said, "I… I just…" She waived her hand vaguely, looking off into the nothingness that was her lame excuse.

Weiss placed her hand to her forehead as she closed her eyes. "I realize that, Ruby. You always 'just'. You 'just' want to go hunting. You 'just' want to attack that _particular_ Grimm. You 'just' want me to be happy that you leave for weeks on end when you and I _both_ know that I never can be!" She was looking into Ruby's face, her eyes shining with anger and sadness. "Not when you're gone."

The desperate sound in Weiss' voice weighed heavily on Ruby's heart. "Weiss, I…" she halfheartedly reached out a hand, barley raising it high enough to do any good.

Weiss straightened her posture, cleared her throat and put her hands behind her back as she raised her head. Even standing as tall as she was now, she was still several inches shorter than Ruby, though she never let that stand in the way of her superiority. "Ruby, I have a… _Request_ to put to you."

_Didn't sound like 'request' was what she wanted to say._ "Okay…?" Ruby drew out the last syllable slightly.

"I understand how you feel about hunting, and I think my opinion on the matter has been made clear. So, when next you decide to leave… When next you decide to return to your hunt, don't! I want you to give it up... For good. No more leaving, just staying _here_ in Vale… With me." After saying her piece, Weiss turned her back, as though she didn't want to see Ruby's face when she gave her answer.

_That was _way_ more of a demand than a request. _Weiss' words rolled around in Ruby's head as she attempted to come to a decision. Being put on the spot like this didn't really help, but she decided that now was as good a time as any to figure out what she wanted. In the end, however, it was much easier than she imagined. Ruby considered all the good she'd done while hunting and realized that, despite the strange feeling, she still loved helping people. But staying in Vale wouldn't hinder that desire, there were always opportunities to fight the Grimm, _Exhibit A: that stubborn beowolf from earlier_. Then she considered the troubling feeling she'd had on her last few hunts, the way her family – especially Weiss – was constantly on her mind. Right then she knew what she wanted to do.

Walking up behind Weiss and bending her knees slightly to make them level, Ruby once more wrapped her in an embrace. "Okay,"

From the position she held, Ruby could make out the corner of Weiss' mouth as it lifted in a smile. Then her face assumed a calmer expression as she turned, making Ruby loosen her hold. "Good," She reached up and lightly ran her fingers through the fur that lined the collar of Ruby's red cloak. "You're okay with that, right?"

"Yeah, getting used to staying in Vale should be pretty easy. I mean I used to do it all the time." As she spoke, Ruby rubbed light circles into Weiss' back, occasionally bumping one of her red suspenders. "Hunting is totally awesome, and I'll kinda miss visiting the other kingdoms, but we could, like, go on vacations _all the time_! I can show you all the amazing places I've hunted at and the cool people I met, though some of them don't speak our language, or like talking, or seeing other people in general... But that's cool, 'cause there's totally a bunch more that are social than anti-social, so you should enjoy meeting th–"

Weiss cut her off, "Ruby, right now I don't care about a bunch of people I may or may not meet in the future. Right now I want to know if you're able to give up your hunt… If you're_ ready_ to give it up,"

Ruby smiled and leaned down, pressing her forehead to Weiss'. "I think I've been ready for a while now."

Just as Ruby leaned in to kiss her, Weiss raised her hand to make her stop. "Wait, what do you mean 'for a _while_ now'? How long have you been considering giving it up?"

Ruby gave a small cringe. "Just the last, uh, two or maybe three hunts…" The statement sounded more like a question in the end, as Ruby wasn't sure how Weiss might take the news. _Don't freak out. Don't freak out. Don't freak out!_

"Are you kidding me?"

_Damn it!_

"You were thinking about giving up your hunt for the last _three_ trips and you didn't tell me? How could you do that? You must have seen how upset I was whenever you left! Why didn't you–" Letting out a frustrated groan Ruby leaned down and slammed their lips together, cutting Weiss off mid-sentence.

Weiss struggle for a bit, letting out a muffled sound of protest. But Ruby held her tight, trying to make the kiss give the apology for her. After several seconds, the pushing and hitting Weiss was doing changed course as she tried to pull Ruby closer.

Soon, the demand for oxygen became too great, and they broke apart. Gasping for air, Weiss said, "Why do I have to love such a frustrating woman?"

Ruby gave a cocky grin, "Just lucky," Then they began to kiss again, and Weiss' hands came up to run through Ruby's hair. Her left hand slid around to cup her face then and she froze. Backing up, she said, "Take them off!"

Ruby let out another groan as Weiss turned and left the room. Ruby pulled a second chair over to the vanity and sat down. She grasped the red bracer that covered her right forearm and loosened it. When she had removed the glove she wore underneath, the patch that covered the right side of her face came next. When the coverings lay on the desk Ruby looked into the mirror, examining, with distaste, the hideous scar that marred her visage.

Weiss returned quickly, holding a box under one arm. She sat in the adjacent chair, placed the box on the desk and set to work. The box contained ointments and medicines to aid in the tending of dust scars; the very scars Ruby bore on her face and arm. Weiss gently worked the creams into her burnt flesh, going from the top of her forearm to the knuckles of her hand.

A memory of the conflagration flashed through her mind as she glanced at the distorted skin. Thoughts of how it had happened were an unpleasant thing to dwell on. But even if she enjoyed reminiscing about such things, it became increasingly difficult to do with Weiss' hands all over her.

Not all the nerves where Ruby had been burned had completely died, most just registered feelings somewhat differently. In some areas it felt like being touched through several layers of clothing. In others, the old sting of the explosion could be felt ever so faintly. With those spots, Ruby usually exercised caution. But whenever _Weiss_ touched there, the coolness of her hands would turn the pain into an odd yet intensely pleasurable sensation.

Weiss had finished with her arm and was now tending to the scar on her face. Ruby closed her good eye and sighed as Weiss massaged a spot just above her cheekbone. However, Weiss apparently mistook the sound of delight as one of pain and withdrew quickly. "Did I hurt you?" She wore an expression of worry and anger. The look was something Ruby was used to by now, and it bugged her. _Now who's frustrating? _

"No! You could never do that. In fact, I love it when you touch me. It's the only time these things _ever_ feel good!"

Weiss looked away, "Sure, but if it wasn't for _me_ you wouldn't have them in the firs–"

"Stop it!" Ruby leaned forward to try and make her turn her head. "You know that's not true! These are _not_ your fault!" Weiss stood and took a few steps away, positioned so that the side of her face was still toward Ruby.

Weiss had an unfortunate habit of doing this. She would get upset over something that was in no way her fault and simply brood over it, as though if she thought long and hard she might be able to come up with a way to fix it. All that did in the end was make her more irritable, which made Weiss unpleasant to be around.

Ruby went to her. She reached out a hand and turned Weiss' face towards hers. Her eyes glimmered faintly in the dim moonlight. "I don't know why you beat yourself up. We both know it wasn't your fault, please just let it go."

"I just…" she cleared her throat, "I just feel so selfish asking you for more when you've already done so much."

Ruby's right hand was on her cheek, and so she stroked her thumb along the scar that ran horizontally beneath Weiss' left eye. "You didn't, exactly, escape unscathed."

"Like that can compare to these," Weiss pulled her hand over and kissed the blemished knuckles. "To this," she reached up and cupped the burnt side of Ruby's face.

The cool skin of her palm was soothing. Ruby closed her eye and leaned into the touch. "Just let it go, _please_." Her right hand turned to grab hold of Weiss' other one, tangling there fingers together.

They stood there for a moment, the feel of being with Weiss was calming. Then Ruby looked at her, moving so that their faces were right next to each other. "Please," she said again, planting a small kiss near her lips. "Let it go," She kissed her again, then again and again. Then Weiss was kissing back, all scars and past experiences apparently forgotten.

As they kissed, Weiss' warm body became flush with Ruby's, sending more heat coursing to other places. The taste of Weiss' tongue was making her crazy and the feeling of her fingers tangling themselves in her hair only amplified it tenfold. They broke the kiss but kept their foreheads pressed together, "Bed?" Ruby asked breathily.

Weiss concurred, "Bed!" Their lips pressed together once more as they began to move. The bed was behind Weiss, so she had to walk backwards as they attempted to stay in contact with each other.

They had barely taken two steps when suddenly, Weiss' heal caught on a wrinkle in the rug and they lost their footing. "Ah!" As they fell, Ruby used her aura to spin them so that Weiss fell on top of her instead.

"Ugh!" Ruby grunted as the force knocked the wind out of her. "Well, _that_ was exciting!" There was no response, so she looked down. Weiss had her face hidden in Ruby's chest, and her shoulders were shaking slightly. "Weiss?" _Oh no, _please_ don't be crying._

Ruby gently raised Weiss' head and the sound of previously stifled mirth came peeling out. Weiss was laughing, tremendously so. The usual composer she held, even when it was just the two of them, was completely absent as she rolled off of Ruby and continued to laugh on the floor right next to her. Ruby thought for a moment, trying to remember the last time Weiss had ever laughed like this. _Yep, this is a first, definitely._

"You're nuts," Ruby said, beginning to smile as she watch her laughing die down.

Weiss reached up and pulled Ruby's face towards hers, stifling another chuckle. "Thank you, Ruby." Her wide smile was contagious.

Her own mouth cracking into a similarly goofy grin, Ruby said, "I love you." And for the umpteenth time that night, they kissed.

**(v)**

The next morning, Ruby woke before Weiss, which was odd considering her usual punctuality. The sunlight was dim because the clouds were still building up outside, but enough light broke through to shine in on the two of them. Ruby propped herself up on an elbow as she faced Weiss.

Had this been a situation Ruby found herself in while still at school, she might have screamed and ran for the nearest door. Now, however, the sight of Weiss' naked body gave her a thrill instead of nerves. She was beautiful; her soft pale skin was perfect in the morning light. Her white hair, splayed out around her face, made her seem like some sort of angel. The slight curves of her body were more seductive than anything else Ruby had yet encountered. _And she's all mine!_ The possessive thought ran through her mind as she leaned down and kissed her exposed belly.

Ruby slowly moved up Weiss' body, marking the skin wherever her mouth touched. When she got to her collarbone, Weiss shifted. "What are you doing?"

"Loving you," Ruby said in passing as she moved on to her neck.

"You're practically eating me,"

Ruby laughed, "No, no. I ate last night, if you'll recall." She scraped her teeth over Weiss' earlobe, giving it a small lick.

Weiss cleared her throat, sounding as though she'd rather not discuss that. "What time is it? We should go down soon."

Ruby sat up and stretched, "But I'm not full yet," She gave Weiss a sly grin.

"Stop it!" Weiss growled as she got out of bed and headed for the bathroom. "Oh yeah, there's a gift for you in that box on the vanity. Open it later, we should really hurry."

"Aw!" Disappointed that she had to wait to open a gift she hadn't even known existed; Ruby followed Weiss into the bathroom.

Half an hour later, the two of them were walking into the dining room. Blake was sitting at the table taking a sip from a glass of tea when she looked up. "Blake!" Ruby shouted as she ran to the table.

Blake smiled and stood, wrapping the younger woman in hug. "Ruby! When did _you_ get here? I thought your airship didn't land until today."

"She came back a night early," said Weiss as she sat down and helped herself to coffee.

"I see," Blake threw a knowing smirk at both of them in turn before sitting back down.

"Where's Yang?" Ruby sat down and pulled some toast over as she looked at Blake expectantly.

"Oh, she'll be down soon. She wanted five more minutes of sleep around twenty minutes ago."

"Did you guys sleep _here_?" Ruby's cheeks flushed slightly.

"Yes, why?"

"Oh, no reason, just curious," _Oh my god, Weiss and I did… And my _sister_ was in the same house? Oh my god!_ Ruby flushed even more as she lowered her head.

Another ten minutes passed before Ruby's older sister came striding into the large room. "Ruby!" The blonde ran towards them.

Excited, Ruby jumped to her feet and met her half way. "Yang!" The two of them hugged the life out of each other. "It's so good to see you!"

"You too! Now all we need is food and life will be complete." Yang broke from their embrace and looked around.

"Assuming Ruby _left_ any, it's all over here!" Blake called out. Ruby's cheek burned in slight embarrassment.

The sisters sat down opposite each other and Yang immediately dug in. Weiss stood then, clearing her throat as she did. "Well, since we're all here I might as well begin." With a mouthful of food, Yang attempted to ask a question. "Yes, you can keep eating."

Then her face became serious as she inhaled to speak. "Roman Torchwick." That hung in the air as the three of them all widened their eyes simultaneously. "I doubt I have to remind any of you who that is." Weiss was looking at her silverware, avoiding all three gazes that bore into her face.

Worry was turning Ruby's gut into knots. _Please, no, not this!_

Weiss continued, "You should all remember that Torchwick was imprisoned the day Ruby was…" She let that sentence go unfinished, as the incident needed no reminding of. Ruby subconsciously reached up and scratched her jaw just under the black patch. "Well, a few weeks ago, he escaped."

There was silence for a moment, and then Blake and Yang both began to ask questions at the same time. "What?"

"How did this…?"

"Why are we only being told _now_?"

"Who's responsible?"

"Do we know what he's planning?"

"_Who_ do I have to punch in the face?"

Throughout it all, Ruby stared at Weiss, wondering how she felt. Out of the whole team, she bore the most ill will towards Roman, and this news seemed like the kind of thing to get her riled up. She seemed calm, though. _Probably had time to accept it by now,_

That thought made Ruby speak up. "How long have you known?"

They locked eyes, "Just over a week. The Prime Minister spoke with me personally."

"The _Prime_ _Minister_? What did he talk to _you_ about?" Yang sounded annoyed.

"He wants us to catch him and bring him back in." Weiss sounded unbothered by the news. _Yeah, she's definitely over it, this is all old news to her. _

Yang was less composed. "_Catch_ him? What are we detectives now? I don't remember taking that class back at Beacon!"

"Do we know of his intentions?" Blake asked, trying to calm Yang with a hand on her arm.

"No. In fact we don't know anything. We don't know if anyone helped him escape, who he's made contact with and we're nowhere _near_ finding out his motives. We've started looking into dust thefts throughout the kingdoms but it's unlikely he'll be trying that anytime soon."

"So what exactly does the PM want?" Yang said, staring at the table as she slowed her breathing. "Dead or alive?"

The idea of killing another human being frightened Ruby slightly, but that quickly passed as a memory of Torchwick's disgusting grin flashed through her mind. "He would prefer alive,"

Yang smiled, "Which means he's open to the 'dead' idea."

"Yang, I don't think we should–" Blake was cut off as an older man in a full tux walked in. He was carrying a thin rectangular box and he approached Weiss quickly.

"Madam, this was left at the door for you." He placed the parcel on the table and left.

Weiss looked at the box confused, reaching down and pulling a small card off of the lid. She read it and her look of confusion morphed into one of pure fury. She flung the card on the table nearest to Yang as she started to remove the lid of the box. Yang picked up the card and read it. A second later, Blake snatched it away before it could catch fire. Yang's hair had begun to glow. Ruby leaned over to Blake and read the card with her,_ 'To: RWBY, from: R.T.'_

Ruby's gut clenched at the hand written words. She looked back to Weiss, who had just gotten the lid off the box. She held it in one hand whilst covering her mouth with the other, shock plain in her eyes. "What's in it?" Ruby asked, unsure if she wanted to know.

Weiss reached into the box slowly and drew out a single red rose. At first Ruby was confused as to why a rose would affect Weiss so much. But then she twirled it and she saw that half of it had been burned. They were all staring at the maimed flower when suddenly Weiss dropped it on the table with a gasp. The head of the rose had caught fire as if from nowhere.

The four women watched in silence as the symbolic plant was turned to ash in front of them. Ruby's ears were ringing, part of her wanted to grab her friends and run, another part wanted to stand and fight to her last breath, and still another part; the part that had hold of her, was simply confused. _What's going on?_

Ruby tore her gaze from the smoking remains and looked at the other three. Blake sat with her hand on her chin, calm anger visible on her face. Weiss seemed lost in thought, her brow furrowed. Yang, however, was the least collected of the group, her eyes burning red and her muscles vibrating with poorly suppressed wrath.

It was Yang who spoke first, "Dead or alive, huh?" They all turned their attention on her. She dropped a spoon on the table that bore a grim resemblance to a pretzel after her violent ministrations. "Well I think he's just made the decision for us."


	2. Promise - 1

_**AUTHOR'S**_** NOTES****: **_Thank you all so much for reading Part One. Your follows, favorites and reviews are _absolutely _incredible. You're all super cool! Part Two actually ended up being almost 10k words so I split it in half. Part two of Promise should be up sooner than this one took. Thanks again and, if you can, review! Reviews are amazing._

* * *

**The Burnt Rose**

_Part Two_: Promise - 1

-**Adam**\- Night before the meeting-

The sky had an ominous feel to it, what with the dark clouds that hid most of the moon. The light that shone through illuminated a cliff and the camp atop it. The edge of the cliff was twenty meters from the outermost tents. There were no more than fifty of them, all dark and set up close together. Ringing the tents were nearly twenty airships, all black and unmarked.

Throughout the camp, White Fang members and hired thugs roamed. In all, there were nearly two hundred of them. They usually spoke only with their own kind, occasionally shooting disgusted looks to those of the other race. To Adam, most of them seemed nervous, and all were unnaturally quiet.

Adam walked between the tents, ignoring all who either looked at him or else called after him. He didn't want to speak with anyone right then, all he could do was think about what was to happen the following day. He still had a hard time accepting it. Perhaps there would be a way to do _some_ good.

His old partner, Blake, had crossed his mind repeatedly since the beginning. Adam hoped that he'd be able to at least protect her, at least keep _her_ safe. _'None of them really deserve this_,' Adam thought to himself as he reached the outskirts of tents.

The White Fang had been all but disbanded over a year ago because of Libra. Libra was an organization partnered with Schnee Dust, and when it came to faunus rights, they did things the _right_ way. They had fought the White Fang, blocking them at every turn. Eventually, the previous symbol for hope was thrown down, all because lust and greed got the better of them.

Those who remained followed Adam as they went underground, performing small jobs through local gangs and leaving the faunus rights act in the past. Even though those people took away most of what Adam considered his livelihood, he harbored no ill will towards them. _'Well, not the sort _he_ has planned for them.'_

Walking towards the largest airship of the lot, Adam attempted to clear his head. He had to keep up appearances, and right then the snarl that curled his upper lip might give more information than he was willing.

Standing outside the ship were two guards. One was about the same height as Adam, though slightly wider. The other stood a good head and a half higher than them, with arms the size of boulders. The skin on his biceps looked as though it might tear if he flexed any harder. The behemoth glowered down at Adam as he approached, a faint growl sounding in the back of his throat. _'Yeah, maybe next time, buddy!'_ Adam shoved passed and through the metal door.

Inside, the ship was semi dark, the main light coming from a series of computer screens arrayed on a wall of the fuselage. An older man stood with a scroll in hand, pointing to some figures as a video played in a corner. The man was small and had a short scraggly beard that made him look twice as old as he probably was. Even though the lighting was so low, he still wore small sunglasses over his eyes. No one knew his real name, seeing as he refused to give it. He was only ever called the 'doctor'.

Although the doctor had some interesting qualities, it was the slightly taller man next to him that attracted Adam's attention. Clad in the remembered black and white trench coat, with his orange hair sticking out from beneath a bowler hat, was Roman Torchwick. Leaning over the doctor's shoulder, Roman listened as he talked.

"As you can see, it followed instructions perfectly," He had an odd accent, one that didn't remind Adam of anywhere in Remnant. "Compliance was at one hundred percent _and_ it felt no pain, just as I said."

"This is quite remarkable, doctor. It's a shame the poor bastard didn't get her. Though, it's not a complete loss," Roman sounded impressed and pleased. The old man walked off to the monitors as Roman looked up. "Ah, Adam, good to see you!"

Annoyingly, he sounded as though it was mere coincidence they should meet. _'Like you don't order me to make reports every night,'_ Adam simply nodded in greeting.

Roman walked forward and leaned heavily on his cane, clearly favoring his right leg. Adam didn't know how, but apparently on the day Roman was arrested he'd gotten his leg broken. Because the physicians in prison famously neglect the inmates, Roman's leg hadn't healed properly; hence the limp. "So, how are the 'troops'?"

"The _men_ are quiet," _'They're hardly troops.'_ "From what I can see everything is set for tomorrow."

"Perfect, and the doctor just showed me that the final piece of our plan will be working perfectly tomorrow. Everything should go smoothly." Roman was far too happy for Adam's liking.

"About that, there was something I wanted to ask you. Regarding tomorrow, are you sure this isn't too big an undertaking? I know I've asked before, but you can't blame me for wanting to keep my people safe." Though it had yet to work, Adam consistently second-guessed Roman's plan in hopes of shedding a bit of doubt, though in as subtle a manner as possible.

Roman was about to answer when the door to the airship opened and a man walked in. "Sir, I have what you requested." The man walked up to Roman and handed him a small rectangular box.

"Ah yes, the cherry on top, excellent," Roman removed the lid of the box and smiled at what he saw. "Now, if I remove it, it'll–?" Roman made an exploding gesture with his free hand to which the man nodded. "Perfect," he placed the lid back on the box and stuck a small card he had pulled out of his jacket onto the front. "Make sure you get it there on time. Our intel says that they will all be together tomorrow morning so it's the best time to deliver it."

The man took the box and left, closing the door behind him. Roman turned back to Adam, "Now, what was I going to say? Oh yes, your question! Well, Adam, I wouldn't worry about tomorrow. If things go awry, you're a sneaky fellow, I'm sure you'll get away just fine."

Roman turned to the doctor and handed him a communicator. "I'll signal when to start moving them." Roman turned, limped passed Adam and out the door.

He followed, giving the glaring mammoth a nod and a smirk as he passed. Adam looked to see Roman walking to the edge of the cliff. Wanting to try once more, Adam went as well.

Roman looked over the edge, his hideous smile still twisting his face. Adam stood with his back to the cliff, surveying the tents a short distance off. "Are you sure you can trust this doctor, –_Sir_?" Adam hated using the term, making him seem subordinate to this lowlife.

"I don't trust other people, Adam. But I do trust their desire; their greed." Roman looked at him then. "All men lust for one thing, be it money, sex or prestige it's all the same. They want power, and if I can provide it then they will take it. The doctor is like all other men, he wants a power of sorts and I think I know what it is."

_'Where's all this coming from?'_ Adam thought, feeling somewhat surprised.

"I feel as though you and I are cut from the same cloth, Adam. We both want power of a similar nature. I believe a desire for respect motivates you." Adam said nothing, just continued to examine the tents. "Yes, that lust for respect once pushed me to do many things. But now a more vital need drives me; the want for satisfaction, for reprisal and _revenge_."

There was silence then. Adam attempted to absorb Roman's words, hating the comparison he made of the two of them. _'I could care less about respect.'_

Roman narrowed his eyes then, clearly noticing the way Adam's back was to the cliff. "Do heights frighten you, Adam?"

"No, I'm just not fond of this _particular_ view,"

"Ha, not a very pretty sight, I'll grant you, but you cannot deny the sheer force down there." Roman turned to face the cliff, and Adam did likewise. He looked down the several hundred feet to the valley floor, only it wasn't the valley floor he saw. Instead, his view was impeded by a mass of black beasts, all standing still as soldiers waiting for an order. The creatures of Grimm were beyond count, with every type imaginable present. Just the _thought_ of that sent shivers down Adam's spine.

"Now you see, Adam, when you take in numbers like _this_, it's really not a matter of _if_ my plan will work, but how long it will take." And Adam had to agree, knowing that no one could stand against this. "As promised, you and your men will have all that you want once it's done. All the Lien you could ever need, and I'm sure there will be some pretty women for them to enjoy. Or men, whatever their fancy may be." Roman gave a dry chuckle.

That thought made Adam's gut clench, and he resolved to make sure his followers weren't involved. "I'll make sure they're aware of their _privileges_."

Just then, Roman raised his communicator and spoke into it. "Very well, doctor, you can move them out now." There was no response, but a moment later every single Grimm turned to face south and began to march.

The sound of an avalanche would be like a sigh of wind compared to the noise created by the monsters. "I've always wanted a city." Roman said as though to himself.

Forcing his eyes away from the sight of Deathstalkers marching next to Boarbatusks, Adam turned his back once more on the cliff. "Well, Sir, if that's all…" he walked away. As he walked, his thoughts returned to Blake, hoping, once more, that he'd be able to do _something_ when the time came.

-**Blake**-

The personal limo of Schnee Dust's CEO sped down the roads of Vale as fast as traffic would allow. Blake sat across from Weiss, drinking tea from a small cup, lost in thought. The meeting with team RWBY had ended nearly twenty minutes before, and the two of them were off to complete the one thing all four of them had agreed on; speaking with Professor Ozpin.

Weiss had made the suggestion, saying that with all of his influence and spread out friends, he _must_ have heard something about Torchwick's activities or at least something else of use. Unsurprisingly, Ruby had wanted to go right off. She was immediately shot down, however, when both Weiss and Yang shouted 'No!' She'd seemed upset, but didn't say anything else on the matter.

Before Blake and Weiss had left, Ruby said a few words to the latter in private before giving her a kiss and dismissing herself. When she was gone, Yang walked up and began to speak. "The rose..." She let that hang in the air for a while before saying anything else. "What are we gonna do about it?"

Weiss spoke first, "What _can_ we do? If we're to assume that R.T. means Roman, then all that's left to do is to continue with our original plan and find him."

"It's possible he may be expecting that now." Blake put her hand on her chin as she spoke. "The card was addressed to all of us, which means that he knew we _all_ would be meeting here today. If he knew that, then he's planning something. It's quite possible we could walk into a trap at any moment."

"You're right, but–" Weiss began before getting cut off.

"Hold on!" Yang closed her eyes and raised her hands; clearly frustrated. "You guys remember the burning rose, right? Don't you realize what that meant? He's made a fucking threat against my _sister_! What are we going to do about _that_?!"

Weiss took in a deep breath and rubbed her furrowed brow; something Blake had seen her do on several occasions when dealing with stubborn board members or lax employees. "Yang, I know that you're worried for Ruby and angry at what we've just seen, I understand perfectly. _But_, in the heat of your anger I would appreciate it if you did not insult me by suggesting that I either overlooked or ignored a possible death threat on the one person that means more to me than life itself." She said all this quickly and in one breath. Her eyes were locked onto Yang's and filled with venom. Whether the utter rage was because of Yang or the rose, Blake didn't know. "Believe me when I say, that if anything were to happen to Ruby, I would not rest until those responsible suffered appropriately, and if she were to die; I would cease to find living bearable. So, in answer to your question, _no_, I did not misinterpret the meaning of rose and _nor_, do I think, did Blake."

Yang was fuming, her hair beginning to glow. "Weiss, I think it'd be best if you waited in the car," Blake said, giving a suggestive nod towards the doors. Scowl only growing fiercer, Weiss turned and walked outside, leaving Blake alone with Yang.

"Listen," Blake began, grabbing Yang's shoulders and pulling her in close. "We're going to keep Ruby safe. You'll be with her while Weiss and I are out. We're not going to let her out of our sight until this is all dealt with, okay?" She wrapped her arms around Yang, whose muscles loosened and hair returned to its normal state.

"You're right, I just overreacted, I guess." Her expression went from relaxed to serious all of a sudden. "Blake, can you make me a promise?"

Blake's eyebrows rose at the tone of Yang's voice, "Yes, of course!"

"If anything were to happen to me, and I wasn't around to watch out for Ruby, you would keep her safe, wouldn't you?"

Blake looked into Yang's eyes, "What are you talking about? You aren't going anyw–"

Yang cut her off, "But let's say I do! Let's say something happens and I'm not… Around anymore; would you?"

Blake sighed, resigned to answer a question to a scenario that made her cringe internally. "You shouldn't have to ask something like that in the first. I love Ruby; you know I'd do whatever it took to keep her safe!"

Yang closed her eyes and exhaled, pressing her forehead to Blake's. "Thank you. I know I didn't _have_ to ask, I just felt I needed to." She opened her eyes and smiled. "I love you, you know that?"

Blake gave a light laugh, "Yeah, I guessed as much." She then leaned in and kissed her.

Back in the limo, Weiss spoke up. "I'm sorry for getting upset with Yang."

Blake hadn't been expecting that, "Thank you…?" She continued to sip her tea, confused by Weiss' apology.

"I think the last thing we need right now is division," Weiss said, staring at the floor of the limo. "Ruby wasn't happy that I made her stay, and, of course we _both_ saw Yang. Hopefully they'll have cheered each other up by the time we get back."

Blake smiled as she thought of Yang's methods for cheering Ruby up. They probably involved immense physical exertion and a bit of alcohol to be safe. _'Or unsafe,'_ "I'm sure they'll both be a lot happier by that time."

Weiss was quiet for a short while after that, and then she turned to face Blake, seriousness in her eyes. "Blake, I need to ask you to do something. I need to know that no matter what, you'll always be there for Ruby. If something ever were to happen to me, please tell me that you would not let anything bad happen to _her_."

Blake was immediately reminded of the promise she made Yang just a short while back. "You know, between you and Yang you'd think I never once showed the slightest interest in whether or not Ruby lived." She gave a light smirk over the top of her cup.

Weiss' brow furrowed, "What do you mean, 'me and Yang'?"

"She just asked me to look out for Ruby, as well, if _she_ were ever to die." She put down her cup, "I feel slightly offended that you two think so little of me." Sarcasm dripped from her words.

"Blake, you know what I mean. I know you wouldn't just abandon Ruby, but let's say you had to save one person, Ruby or me." Blake attempted to interject, trying to complain about the validity of 'what if' scenarios, but Weiss cut her off. "As your boss you have an obligation to protect me and nothing I say can change that. But as your friend I would ask you to make Ruby's life a higher priority than my own."

Blake sat in silence, thinking Weiss' words over. She hated the feeling of having to choose between two lives, especially the lives of her friends. But in the end, Blake decided that the chances of something like this ever happening were about one in a million. "Fine," Blake said, deciding to placate Weiss. "_Should_ that ever happen, I'll keep Ruby safe."

Weiss seemed satisfied, and the rest of the car ride passed in silence.

In a quick call they'd made before leaving, Professor Ozpin had agreed to meet with them. However, he told them that it would have to be at the Vale air-docks because he was leaving for Signal Academy on school business and that there wouldn't be a lot of time.

They drove for another ten minutes or so, which passed slowly due to the tension from their closed conversation. Finally, they reached the docks and got out of the limo. When they got to where the ships were, they saw an airship getting prepped for takeoff in the distance. As they walked towards it, they noticed a man in a green suit standing alone, drinking coffee. They made their way towards him.

After a few minutes of exchanging pleasantries, the three of them began to discuss their purpose for meeting. "So, how might I assist you two?" Ozpin placed his cane in front of himself and took another sip from his mug.

Weiss began to explain about Roman Torchwick; about his escape, their task to find him again, even the rose he had sent them. Finally she asked him if he'd heard anything from his contacts throughout the Four Kingdoms regarding Torchwick.

Ozpin considered their words before speaking. "I can't say that I've heard of where Roman might be or what he's been doing since his escape. I understand that, before his previous arrest, he was collecting substantial amounts of dust. Perhaps you could start by looking into dust thefts throughout the kingdoms."

"We've considered looking into that, yes." Weiss said.

"Well, I'll certainly ask some of my friends if they've heard of anything recent, and if something comes up I will, of course, let you know." The roar of the airship's engine broke the silence following his words. "Now, I may not have any information regarding Torchwick, but I _have_ heard of some discredited Scientist who has apparently vanished since Roman's escape."

Blake looked at Weiss to see if she thought the information was worth anything. She merely looked puzzled and asked, "Why do you think they're related?"

"I'm not sure; perhaps I've developed a sixth sense over the years, then again, I doubt it." He gave a light laugh. "Apparently, he was discredited due to practices that were deemed 'inhumane'. Also, he's believed to be tied to the disappearance of an associate of his from several years ago. No one knows what happened to the woman, but this scientist was definitely a person of interest in her investigation."

Blake contemplated the information, wondering why this crooked scientist might be connected with Torchwick. "I don't know if you'll find that useful, but there you go. I do apologize that don't know more."

The pilot of the airship came up and told Ozpin they were ready for takeoff. He thanked him and bid farewell to Blake and Weiss. They watched as the ship flew off, remaining below the dark clouds as it made its way west.

The two women returned to the limo, talking about what little the Professor had told them. Blake felt slightly discouraged, because even after talking to Ozpin, they still had nothing to go on. _'All we have is the rumor of some mad scientist and a pile of ash.'_

Weiss appeared to be equally upset; frowning as the limo drove them back to the Manor. They were driving past a large park when her frown of concern melted into a look of confusion. She got closer to the window and Blake followed her gaze outside.

In the park were several hundred cops, talking to each other or on their coms. "I wonder what they're doing." Blake said.

Weiss clearly wanted to find out. "Driver, pull over, please." When the limo stopped, Blake followed Weiss outside and over to the policemen.

"Excuse me," Weiss said to a cop, examining his name badge. "Um, Officer Burns, how come there're so many of you out here?"

At the sound of his name the cop looked down. "Oh, _there_ you are. Well for some reason, every cop on duty was called here. No one really knows why." He pointed over to the larger group of cops. "That's what we were called here for, but it's not even our problem, that's a job for Hunters. Believe me; I've got a few things I'll be saying to HQ about this _whole_ mix up."

Weiss looked confused, "What do you mean 'a job for Hunters'?"

Blake didn't wait for his answer; she began to walk towards the large group of cops, pushing her hair back as she reached for Gambol Shroud. She overheard some cop talking to his partner. "Just standin' there, hasn't attacked anyone yet." She shouldered her way through the men and women in uniform to stand at the edge of a clearing one hundred feet across.

The center of the empty circle held the answer to Weiss' question. Standing tall and menacing, with feral teeth glistening and fur as black as its heart, was an Ursa. Flanking the beast were two Beowolves, red eyes burning into the human faces that surrounded them. The ivory barbs on their arms and backs loomed out threateningly.

_'What the…?' _The three creatures of Grimm were standing still, not making any sort of attempt to fight. They stood, as if in formation, glaring at the cops. Their behavior was nonsensical to say the least.

Blake was about to ask one of the cops how long they had been there when something interrupted her. There was a roar of engines and a rush of wind that made everyone duck. Blake looked up and her stomach dropped.


	3. Promise - 2

_**AUTHOR'S NOTES: **_Thank you (again) for all the follows, favorites and reviews!_ Love you all! Well, I really like you... Yeah! U__m... I know I said this one would be up sooner. But apparently I lied. Whatever, its here now, so ENJOY! Hopefully..._

* * *

**The Burnt Rose**

_Part Three_: Promise - 2

-**Ruby**-

Ruby's internal metronome kept her in pace as she flowed through the familiar moves of combat, felling holographic enemies left and right. A punch there, then a kick and a swing followed by a complicated maneuver, which caused the lights of four opponents to go out all at once.

_'Too dangerous? Ha!'_ Ruby spun and pulled out Crescent Rose, putting out nearly ten foes in one swing. _'Can't take the risk, huh?!'_ She finished off the closest ones and spun to survey the rest.

The fictitious enemies were at least ten yards away now, so Ruby planted Crescent Rose and began to fire. She knocked down the first wave before reloading and bracing herself for the impact of the charging holograms. _"I love you."_ The memory of Weiss' voice distracted her and while she took out the lights in the front line, Ruby had neglected one that circled around to her back.

An alarm sounded and all the enemies froze as the one who had put a simulated gun to her head was lit up in red. The practice army disappeared and Ruby sat down hard on her butt. "Bullshit," she whispered to herself, only _half_ in reference to the lost fight.

The quick conversation she'd had with Weiss a half hour ago still rang in her head. "So, this is how it's gonna be, huh?" Ruby had whispered, trying to avoid letting the two other women in on the conversation. "My safety is _so_ important that I can't even go _talk_ to someone?"

"Ruby, you saw the rose, you know what it meant. It's too dangerous to go out there right now." Weiss' voice was somewhat stern, fixed, as she was, in her decision that Ruby should remain behind.

"I'm a Huntress, I've dealt with more danger than most people would in a_ hundred_ lifetimes." Ruby's whisper was barely in check.

Weiss sighed, "This is different. When out hunting, _we're_ the stalkers, not the stalked. With this, we don't know where the danger might appear. I doubt that the Manor is the safest place in Vale but you'd be much more exposed out there and I can't take that risk." Weiss was beginning to sound irritated, though she had a tender look in her eyes.

Ruby exhaled, "Whatever, just don't expect me to keep the bench warm throughout this whole– _thing_! I'm not just going to stand by and watch my friends deal with this without me."

Weiss gave a light laugh. "You'll keep the bench warm for as long as I say." She pulled Ruby down to her level to give her a quick kiss. "I love you." They parted ways then.

Ruby still wasn't happy though. The thought of her friends out there, quite possibly in danger, and without her there to help, made her gut churn.

"Aw, and you were doing so well." The sarcastic voice coming from the entrance to the practice room made Ruby look up. Yang was leaning against the door frame, fresh workout clothes on.

Ruby snorted in derision, "Oh yeah, I was doing _fantastic_," She leaned back on her hands, her accelerated heart rate returning to a normal steady rhythm. "Let's see _you_ do better in my position; one eye, a weakened right arm and, what was that last one? Oh that's right; a death threat!"

Yang sidled over to Ruby and sat down next to her, a small smirk on her face. "Well, seeing as you've already mastered fighting with one eye and a weaker arm, my guess is it's the last one that's bothering you." Ruby didn't respond, she simply examined a wall filled with practice weaponry. Yang grew serious, "You know we would never let anything happen to you, right? I think the rest of us would die before that."

Ruby stood up and walked to the opposite wall, a sound of disgust escaping her mouth. "_That's_ the problem, Yang. I don't give a damn about my own life." She turned to see a somewhat worried expression on her sister face. "I mean, I don't wanna _die_ or anything, I didn't mean it like that." Ruby exhaled and sat down in a chair, "But I would rather die myself before letting any one of you do that for me."

"Ruby, you're outnumbered three to one on this. There's no way any of us will let that happen, and as long as we're all together we can make sure none of us have to die anyway." Ruby clenched her eyes shut when Yang said 'die'. The word had already been used too many times for her liking.

Then her eyes snapped open as she came to a decision, "You know what? You're right," Yang looked at her, confused. "As long as we're all together no one will die. I _refuse_ to let that happen." She stood while she spoke, her tone; verbal evidence to the resolve she held for her statement.

Yang raised her eyebrows, "Okay then," She stood as well, "No one will die and that's that." She gave Ruby an all too familiar grin that tugged at her gut until she was grinning back. Yang laughed at the look of Ruby trying to hold back the smile. "In the meantime, why don't we practice?"

Yang walked up to a control panel on the wall, "So what'll it be; you and me versus a horde of Grimm, men, or flying monkeys?" She tapped through the menus while Ruby gave a short laugh.

"You know, Yang, I don't think you and I have ever gone against each other in hand-to-hand combat."

Yang looked at her, puzzled, "Of course we have. We practiced at Beacon all the time."

Ruby grinned, "Yeah, but I always used Crescent Rose in our fights. You're the closest thing we have to a bare-handed fighter on our team."

"Okay, so you want to fight me _without_ the big ass scythe? Why? That doesn't seem like a fair fight." She raised her arm to show off the gold bracelet that was her weapon.

Ruby did her best to hide her amusement, "I've actually– sort of– picked up a new technique."

Yang cocked an eyebrow, "Really? I didn't see anything new just now." She gestured to the empty floor where Ruby had just fought the holographic army.

"Well I don't use it _all_ the time, I still feel more comfortable with my old style."

"As opposed to your bare hands,"

"Nope," Ruby went over to the armory and picked up two pistols filled with blanks so as to avoid killing someone but to also give the proper recoil reaction. She held them up so Yang could see them. "As opposed to _these_,"

Yang smiled, "First off, slightly cliché. Secondly, those are guns; they kind of negate the whole hand-to-hand thing." She made some small karate chops at the conclusion of her sentence.

Ruby laughed, "I use their recoil for momentum, and need I remind you; Ember Celica are half shot-gun _and_, since your last upgrade, they have collapsible blades on the side." She raised an accusatory eyebrow at her sister.

Yang considered that for a moment before shrugging. "Alright then, if you wanna do this then let's go." She armed Ember Celica and walked out into the middle of the floor. Ruby swapped the belt that held Crescent Rose's ammo for one filled with blank magazines.

They faced off, beginning the match by circling each other, waiting for the other to make the first move. Yang spoke, "Ladies first,"

Ruby smiled, "Age before beauty," Yang ginned at her quip, and then they both moved at the same time. Yang swung at Ruby who pivoted to face her shoulder towards Yang. Ruby then fired in the opposite direction so as to send her left arm flying towards her sister. Yang looked shocked at the speed of the attack, though she had had no problem deflecting it. Retaliating, Yang punched and kicked at Ruby with lightning speed. Rather than deflect her blows, Ruby danced around them, occasionally using the momentum of her sister's own attacks to throw her off balance.

They fought on, sweat beginning to bead on their foreheads. A few hits were made on both women, but nothing worthy of attention. "Where–" Yang spoke between blows, "Did you learn– to fight– like this?"

"Some old guy–" Ruby said, "That I met– while hunting!" Yang attempted a kick at her head, making Ruby duck and roll to the side as the foot almost came down on top of her. Had this been a _real_ fight, Ruby would have sent a few bullets at Yang from her position. As it was, she needed to get closer to get in any hits. _'Maybe this wasn't the _best_ technique to use,'_ Ruby thought in hindsight.

Yang began to walk towards her, fists up and ready. Ruby made as if to charge and the blonde reacted just as she'd wanted; by raising her right arm to swing. Activating her aura, Ruby flashed to Yang's right side, ducking low beneath the punch. Firing the gun in her right hand, Ruby sent her elbow flying into Yang's kidney.

The force caused her sister to grunt and fall forward onto a knee. Ruby place the barrel of the gun in her left hand to the back of Yang's head. "He couldn't pay me for helping out with his monster problem, so he offered to teach me this. Took about a week to get down." Yang raised both hands in the air, as if in defeat.

"Who?" She sounded confused and out of breath, clearly forgetting about the conversation she'd started before her little sister gained the upper hand.

"You know, the old guy that I said taught me all this. He did it as payment."

"Oh yeah," Yang seamed distracted by something, and too late Ruby realized what it was. Yang's right hand clenched into a fist and she swung the arm behind her head, beneath Ruby's gun. A fire hot blade shot out and sliced the gun in half before the gauntlet swung outwards and into Ruby's exposed belly.

Stumbling back, Ruby was then knocked off her feet as Yang spun and kicked. Ruby felt Yang straddle her then, and looked to see a gauntlet in her face and her sister hovering over her. "Well, it's a pretty cool technique, but you've got a ways to go before you can beat me."

"Maybe," Ruby agreed, "Or maybe not," She raised the gun in her right hand to point at Yang's chest. Had she held a real gun, one shot at the right angle and Yang would be down for the count.

Yang looked down at it, "Well, _that's_ annoying." She rolled off her sister to lie next to her. After a while she said, "So, a draw?"

Ruby laughed, "Yeah, a draw." She turned her head to look at Yang. "Hey, thanks for this. I actually feel a lot better."

Yang looked back at her, "I thought you might," Then she ruffled Ruby's hair, making her laugh again and roll away, out of reach.

**(v)**

The two women spent a bit more time in the practice room, wherein Ruby went and got the gift that Weiss had left for her. She wasn't sure whether she should wait for Weiss to get back before opening it, but as Yang was a bad influence, the package ended up open anyway.

When Ruby removed the lid she stared at what was it had concealed. Inside was an oval-shaped pad, just over seven inches long, and on it sat a small blade. Ruby grasped the handle of the blade and pulled it out. As soon as the weapon left the pad, which had held onto it magnetically, the blade extended, making the whole thing almost ten inches long. "Oh. My. God."

Yang looked at her confused, "What?"

"This is amazing!" She pulled out the pad and flipped it over to find strong, leather straps. Excited, Ruby began to clumsily attach the equipment to the underside of her left forearm, simply guessing that that's where it should go.

Yang took the box while Ruby watched the blade slide in and out as she removed and replace the knife on the pad. "You missed something," Ruby looked up to see Yang holding out a black ring.

Her excitement growing, Ruby slid the ring onto the fourth finger of her left hand. "This is so cool!" A moment of delight later and she froze, her mind catching up with the reality of the situation. "Um, does it do anything else?"

Yang gave a light chortle as she pulled one more thing out of the box; a piece of paper with writing and diagrams on it. "Why don't you check the instructions."

After carefully examining the paper, Ruby set up some targets and stood in front of them. The instructions said to hold your thumb to the ring – which lit up a red line around the band – to activate the knife. Upon letting go, the weapon would leave the pad and fly forward, fast as a bullet. The longer a thumb was pressed to the ring, the farther it would fly. After hitting its target or reaching its calculated flight distance, the blade would return and slide gently back onto the pad.

Ruby tested its shooting capabilities on the targets, going from close to farther and farther away and then making them move. It took several shots, but eventually she hit the mark every time she let the blade fly. Ruby was elated to find how easy it was; the knife did most of the work for her.

While holding her thumb to the ring would send the knife shooting off like a bullet, Ruby found that if she merely tapped it then the knife would hover in front of her palm for a few seconds, waiting to be grabbed before settling back on the magnetic pad. Its capabilities made Ruby gush over the weapon while Yang looked on, appearing slightly worried for her sister's sanity.

When they left to go shower, Ruby took a closer look at the handle of the blade. The red and black design should have given it away right off the bat, but its deadly nature had been far more interesting. The style of the grip was very similar to Crescent Rose's shaft; it even had a small spike on the base. _'She must have had this custom made.'_ That was the only way to explain how similar the two weapons were. _'I'll have to come up with a name for you.'_

After a second shower that day, Ruby returned to the dining room, fully clothed in her usual black and red. She walked in and overheard Yang talking with someone, someone with a very recognizable voice. "Sun!" Ruby said as she ran over to their mischievous, monkey tailed friend.

"Hey Rubes, it's good to see ya!" He stood and Ruby gave him a huge hug. She had always liked Sun, but ever since he had helped exercise her wounded arm back into a usable limb, Ruby adored him. He laughed at her excessive show of emotion.

"Sorry, it's just been a long time." Ruby said, letting go and backing up.

"Naw, it's cool. So how have things been, that bracer workin out for ya?" As the two of them caught up, they followed Yang into the entertainment room. She turned on the television and immediately began flipping through channels.

At almost twelve o'clock, the three of them were still sitting there watching TV and talking. "Velvet's been good, she's still working at the Sun-Drop Lounge with Yang, but she's been taking some classes, trying to get into writing for–" Sun was cut off by Yang standing up rather abruptly.

"Is that who I think it is?" Ruby looked at the TV which was the source of Yang's brusque question. She had flipped to a news channel and the screen was showing scenes of a park filled with cops, surrounding an Ursa and two Beowolves.

Sun had stood up to get a closer look at the three Grimm on the screen. "What the hell? I've never seen them act like that before. I wonder how long they've been standin' still like that."

Ruby was confused by the beast's actions as well, reminded of the Beowolf she had dispatched the night before. But Yang had said 'who' not 'what' and Ruby immediately saw who she was talking about.

Standing amongst the cops, no doubt talking about the three Grimm, was Blake and Weiss. Ruby gave an incredulous laugh. "Yep, that's them alright." It was a little strange to see them on screen like this. Being head of the SDC, Weiss of course made occasional appearances on news stations and talk shows for interviews and the like. Blake, as well, had made a few public appearances on screen. But when she wasn't expecting it, Ruby felt a little strange seeing her girlfriend on TV.

She was about to say how cool it was to see their friends on the television when the angle on the screen changed. It went to a shot directly above the park, where eight black, unmarked airships circled the area, their guns aimed at the ground.

Ruby stood up and stared more intently at the images on the glass. All three of them were silent, not wanting to jinx anything into happening. And then out of nowhere, the airships opened fire.

-**Yang**-

Ruby and Sun flew from side to side as Yang swerved through the frozen traffic all around them. When the shooting had started, people driving towards the park had given up on trying to turn around and simply abandoned their cars, attempting to get to safety as fast as possible.

From the back seat, Sun shouted, "Do you think you could take those turns a _little_ more gently?" He clung to the left hand door as he spoke, one hand over his mouth.

"I told you to put on a seatbelt!" Ruby said, taking the intense jostling she was receiving in stride.

"There was no ti– AH!" His words were cut short as Yang hit a left turn without even considering the brakes, sending Sun crashing into the opposite door.

As soon as the airships had begun to fire, Yang and Ruby were in the Manor's garage, closely followed by Sun. Hopping into the fastest looking car, they sped towards the park from the TV with barely any words spoken. No one wanted to give voice to the worries that beset their minds.

Yang's heart hadn't beat this fast since Ruby was injured. The thought that her friends, that members of her family might have been hurt, _'Or worse,'_ sent Yang into a rage. The steering wheel already held indents from where her fingers had burned into it.

Part of her mind wondered what was happening and why. Who or what might be behind whatever the hell was going on and what did they want, if anything. She attempted to quiet those thoughts however, because at that moment they didn't matter. The only thing that mattered was getting to that park and finding Blake and Weiss alive and safe, so right then she needed to focus. After several minutes of slow steady breathing, her heart rate lowered and she felt more alert.

Their guide to the park was a rising spire of smoke, an ominous symbol of what no doubt awaited them. Soon enough the low flying airships came into view, forming a massive circle in the air. Yang pulled the car over a couple blocks away and the three of them approached the park quickly but discreetly, using the cover of trees to hide from the unmarked airships.

They had been running for almost a minute when, out of nowhere, three Ursa were upon them. The beasts were dealt with quickly, lying in pieces on the ground, but their presence unnerved Yang. _'I thought there was only _one_ Ursa in the park.'_ Yang, again, put the thoughts from her mind.

They continued their trek, running into a few more Grimm along the way. "What the hell is going on with the Grimm today?" Sun asked, after breaking the neck of a Beowolf with his legs. No one answered, because they were all wondering the same thing.

Finally, they reached the buildings adjacent to the park. The airships had stopped shooting long ago, but gunfire could still be heard. Several Grimm were moving towards the park a distance off. Ruby was about to run right underneath the ships and towards the beasts when Yang grabbed her arm. "Let's take out a few of those ships first." Yang gestured towards the tallest building across from the park. Its roof reached higher than the hovering aircrafts.

Ruby looked at it and nodded, taking off for the building with the other two in tow. Naturally, the elevator was out of service, _'Why should things like that work in a catastrophe?'_ So they all sprinted up the stairs, using their weapons to clear entire flights in a single jump. In, no doubt, a quicker time than the elevator would have given them, they were padding out onto the roof.

Yang spared a glance for the city. Vale sat in shadow, as the scattered clouds from the night before had successfully stretched until its edges were out of sight.

They went to the edge and looked down at the three closest ships. Ruby spoke up, her old role of leader noticeable in her tone of voice. "I'll take the one on the left. Sun, you get the one in the middle. Yang, go for the far right."

They nodded and backed up as far as the roof would allow. "Ready?" Ruby called to the other two, "Now!" They all sprinted straight for the edge.

Firing her weapons and kicking off as hard as she could, Yang launched herself high into the air, her hair getting whipped out behind her. As she began the exhilarating fall, Yang positioned herself directly over her assigned ship. Her arms were thrown out so as to better control her decent.

She aimed for the wing on the right, getting closer and closer. _'Wait for it, wait for it. Now!' _Yang fired Ember Celica, making herself spin as though performing a violently fast dance. As she revolved, the fire blades on the side of her weapons shot out.

When she hit the wing her blades tore through it easily. The whole ship began to tilt, barely staying in the air. Yang had grabbed the main body of the ship before going into another freefall and worked her way to the top. Holding tight with one hand, she sent shotgun blasts at the other wing. When both were on fire the craft began to lose altitude and eventually went into a dive. Yang held on tight as the pilot inside attempted to guild the falling craft.

Wind tore through Yang's hair as the velocity of the ship increased. She looked off to her side to see Ruby and Sun holding onto their own falling ships just slightly behind her.

Looking back to ground, the sight that met Yang's eyes would have made her catch her breath had she not already been holding it. The floor of the park that was rushing up towards her was littered with broken and burned corpses. The bodies of murdered cops were torn, burned, and mutilated in disturbing ways due to the fire power of the airships. But not all was lost. Several officers were still standing and fighting the fresh Grimm that had swarmed into the park since the firing.

Yang looked closely and soon found what she was hoping for. Blake and Weiss were on the ground, weapons in hand, fending off a giant King Taijitu. Heart lightening immediately, a grin spread across Yang's face. Knowing that everyone she cared about was safe made Yang feel slightly invincible, even in spite of the present carnage.

Ruby and Sun's airships were veering towards each other and into a dense pack of trees on the edge of the park, so they maneuvered their way onto Yang's. Her ship was aiming for two nasty looking Death Stalkers that were advancing on Blake and Weiss from behind the great snake.

They all jumped off right before it hit the two Grimm, landing on the monstrous snake as it was attempting to wind its way around their teammates. Ruby sliced the head on one end in half just as Sun blew a hole through the other and Yang divided it right in the middle. The giant body hitting the ground sent up a huge dirt cloud, luckily, that muddled the view of any outsiders.

Yang rolled when she finally hit the ground, coming up directly in front of Blake.

Blake had a small grin on her face. "And you think _I'm_ hot with the whole hair thing? I mean, I am, but there's really no way to top _that_." She gestured behind the blonde at the extravagant entrance she'd just made. Yang didn't respond, she merely grabbed Blake by the hip and the back of her head and pulled her into a deep kiss. Time froze, there were no more Grimm, there was no blood or fire or death; there was only Blake. The feel of her warm vibrant body against hers made Yang feel electricity course through her veins. All she really wanted was this perfect woman and having almost lost her made Yang's thirst nearly insatiable. _'Thank God, you're safe!'_

Eventually Blake gently pushed her back, a smile still on her face. "Yang, I'm not sure this is the best time for us to get carried away" Yang breathed in deep, not wanting to stop kissing Blake but knowing that there was no time for it. She backed up and looked over at Weiss and Ruby, who were coming out of a similar exchange. Sun stood awkwardly off to the side with his staff in hand.

Blake went to Ruby and gave her a hug and Weiss walked up to Yang. The awkwardness from that morning's argument could still be felt, and Yang couldn't bring herself to hug Weiss, even if she _was_ glad to see her alive. Weiss seemed to be struggling with what was best to say as well. "Glad you're not… Dead." Yang said.

Weiss furrowed her brow slightly, "Um, thanks," She appeared to accept that as passable pleasantries, seeing as she turned to Sun then and gave him a quick hug. "How did you guys know to come here?"

"We saw you on the news," Ruby said.

Suddenly, Yang became aware of the sounds of chaos all around. Through the haze of dirt she watched the bloodbath continue as the remaining police persisted in fending off the beasts.

"_Now_ what do we do?" Sun said, raising his staff in preparation to fight off any Grimm that might come at them. The dirt cloud was almost gone now and soon they would become visible targets. "We need to move fast!"

Yang looked at Ruby who was staring around at the chaos that besieged the once beautiful park. Her good eye looked like it might be about to fill with tears and her jaw was clenched tight.

Blake spoke up, "We tried to leave as soon as the airships started firing, but the Grimm kept coming in and blocking us off."

Yang had an idea then. She looked over to the crashed airships, noticing that their wreckage lined up straight to the street outside the park. If they could get to the one Yang had brought down they could jump from one to another until they were out.

"I know what to do," Yang began, "We can use the wrecked ships to get out. We won't have to fight through all the Grimm that way!"

The others seemed to think that an acceptable solution, all but Ruby, who grew angry at the idea. "We need to _help_ them!" The knife Weiss had given her was in Ruby's left hand and she pointed with it towards the dying policemen. "It's our job to defend people against this, why would we run?"

Yang could think of several reasons off the top of her head, and they were all standing around her.

"Fighting or running, decide quickly!" Sun shouted, as he twirled his staff above his head and brought it down to crack the skull of a Boarbatusk. The dirt had settled on the ground by then and several Grimm had taken notice.

Just then, a wave of Grimm poured in from the north, filling the clearing in seconds. The decision was made for them; they needed to leave, but the only way out was by battling their way there. They attempted to remain close as they fought, slowly working their way towards the wreckage.

Yang, Weiss and Sun were close together with Blake and Ruby several meters ahead. During the fight, Yang brought down a line of Beowolves with her fire blades, creating a temporary hindrance for the other Grimm. With the slight lapse in monsters, they made somewhat more headway towards the ships.

Then an Ursa appeared from nowhere behind Sun. The faunus would have been dead had he been alone. Fortunately, not one but _four_ huntresses were present, and saw the beast at the same time. From farther behind, Ruby sent her knife flying into the monster's chest while Blake filled it with arrows. Simultaneously, Weiss shot some energy blasts at it just and Yang fired off four rounds from each gauntlet.

Sun had dropped to his knees and covered his head while deathblows were dealt mercilessly just above him. When the corpse slammed into the ground, he looked up. "Holy _shit_! How 'bout a warning next time?! God! Damn! Grimm! Mother! Fu–"

"Let's go, monkey boy!" Yang said quickly, cutting him off mid curse. As she pulled him up, Yang listened closely. From both far away and fairly near, screams, explosions and cries of the Grimm could be heard. "They must be all over the city!" Yang shouted to the other four. Their grim expressions were the only answers given. Then their foes closed in once more.

_'We _need_ to get out of here! They don't stop coming!'_ Then Yang's mind began to race again, ignoring her attempts to block out all outside thoughts. _'What is going on? How is any of this possible? Grimm don't fight like this, they don't have formations or create strategies. This is wrong!'_

They were almost to the airship when the Grimm they were fighting froze and backed up, leaving them in a small clearing. "The hell…?" Yang said, keeping her gauntlets up and ready to use. Ruby and Blake were closest to the fallen airship with the other three a good ten yards behind.

Just then, a Nevermore flew out of the dark clouds above them. They all looked up at its malicious cry. "Weiss!" Blake shouted, gesturing to the gigantic bird. Gambol Shroud changed back into a bow as she pointed with it at the Grimm.

Weiss seemed to understand and she raised Myrtenaster, waived it and a glyph three feet across materialized between Blake and the Nevermore. Blake pulled back and fired several dust arrows through the shimmering symbol and into the Grimm beyond. When they first appeared the arrows were black, but as they passed through the glyph, they became red and looked as if on fire.

When the fiery, red arrows struck the creature, a burst of light exploded at the contact, leaving smoke and blood leaking in its wake. The two that hit its body didn't seem to faze the Nevermore, as if it couldn't even feel the holes being punched into it. When one ripped off its wing however, even a lack of sense couldn't have prevented it from veering right into one of the remaining airships.

The ship's left engine exploded at the impact, sending blood and bits of debris raining down to the ground. Yang looked closely, and then gasped. The ship had begun to fall, and unfortunately it was coming straight towards the five of them.

Yang's gut clenched as she looked around and realized there was nothing to do. The rest of the Grimm were keeping them penned up in this clearing. The burning ship was falling fast, small bits of metal and glass raining down around it. It would take several minutes to fight their way to a safe zone, and they only had seconds.

"Shit!" Weiss snarled, making Yang turn her head. She raised her rapier once more, waived it through the air and pointed. A massive glyph, thirty yards across, materialized twenty feet above them and the falling ship crashed into it. The metal, glass and fire all held, floating above their group like a deadly ceiling.

For a happy moment, Yang thought that Weiss would be able to hold it up. But then she saw the blood running down her nose and the strained expression on her face and she knew there wasn't much time. _'Oh no,'_ "Blake!" she shouted to the raven-haired women and pointed at Ruby, who showed every intention of running to Weiss. _'You promised. Please keep Ruby safe.'_

Everything seemed to slip into slow motion then. The massive glyph disappeared in a vaporous gust. The groaning from bent and burning metal changed slightly as gravity began to pull it through the air once more.

Next to Yang, Weiss' knees buckled and her eyes rolled back. Reflexively catching and sweeping her into her arms, Yang turned to run out from under the falling debris. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Blake pulling a struggling Ruby in the opposite direction, towards their original escape plan.

Yang had barley taken a step, however, before colliding with Sun, sending all three of them crashing to the ground. The last thing she heard was Ruby's voice screaming for Weiss before the wrecked ship crashed into her aura with more force than she thought possible. And then the darkness swarmed in to block out all sights and sounds.


	4. Why

_**AUTHOR'S**_**_ NOTES_: **_Sorry again for the wait, (I feel arrogant saying that, like my story is super important or something) but sorry all the same. Thanks for reading, thanks for favorite-ing, thanks for reviewing! You're so cool if you're reading this. Like it seriously makes my day to see that people are reading my shit, and even liking it. Anyway, ENJOY! [WritingThisForAnEven 8300Words...]_

* * *

**The Burnt Rose**

_Part Four_: Why

-**Adam**-

The sound of engines and rushing air filled his ears as the ship flew over a besieged Vale. Adam sat in a seat along the wall of the fuselage, staring down at a scroll that had, minutes before, shown scenes of a park turned battlefield.

Adam had watched everything that took place. He watched as Blake was nearly blasted by gunfire until he ordered it ceased. He watched as she and her friends narrowly fought their way through a horde of Grimm before he was able to stop that as well. Finally, he watched as she brought down a Nevermore, which in turn took out one of the circling ships.

His old partner had barely gotten out in time, pulling the one Torchwick called 'Red' along with her. The three others that had been with them were underneath the wreckage of airship as it hit the ground. With the burst of fire it had released, Adam assumed that they were more than likely dead. After that Blake and her friend had escaped, running off with many a backward glance. Once they got out of sight of the airships, the two were invisible; no one knew where they had gone.

Adam sat still now, staring at the blank scroll. Part of him reveled in a personal victory, silently happy that the one person he'd originally wanted to protect was now safe. Another part of him felt so distraught that any lesser man might wail in sorrow. He attempted to focus on the positive thoughts in his head, however; Blake was alive and safe.

Though Adam felt no attraction towards Blake, he still harbored for her a protective feeling, almost guardian like. He had been the senior member when they were partnered back in the White Fang, and sought to keep her alive at all times. _'Old habits die hard…'_ And more presently, he began to feel an incredible respect for her because of her recent work in faunus rights.

Blake had gotten out of the White Fang early because she couldn't stand by and watch innocent people get hurt. That kind of thinking had confused Adam once, but now he understood. The founders of the White Fang had strove for equality, fought verbal battles to make humans see the error of their ways. But when the regime changed and the old tactics of subtlety and peace went out the window, they became exactly what they had originally worked against, a group of prejudice and self-righteous murderers.

Adam despised what he had done in the past, only remaining with the White Fang – even after they were practically destroyed – to stay any further acts of violence. Besides, he really had nowhere else to go, so why not make the best of his situation? _'I never thought I'd get led into something like _this_, though.'_

It was too late to back out now, however. In actuality, that had never really been a choice. Adam had attempted to decline the offer Roman made to him, but his followers insisted that he take the job. _"Think of the money,"_ they said. The only comfort he found was in his plan to work against Roman in secret – to an extent.

In a meeting between Roman, the doctor, and himself, Adam had been informed that the initial goal upon invading Vale would be to kill all cops and at least a third of all civilians before imprisoning the rest. Appalled, Adam vehemently protested, practically _shouting_ that there was no need to kill so many civilians let alone _every single cop!_ After much deliberation and argument on whether or not the lives of common citizens should be _any_ concern of theirs, they had come to an agreement. The doctor would only allow the Grimm to kill if they were attacked first, but all cops would be killed regardless. Adam attempted to argue further, knowing that anyone would fight back if their home and family were threatened. But the matter had been settled and it left a bitter taste in his mouth.

Knowing that he still had to do _something_, Adam then went to many lengths to make sure a good number of people escaped the city when the Grimm invaded. He positioned the men that would enter the city in spots that would leave subtle openings on a map, but show a clearly open door in reality. So far, it had seemed to work. Many people were able to get to the sea-docks and sail off, or else get to an airship before they were taken.

There were reports of a few resident hunters and huntresses being killed throughout the city as well. Though there weren't as many as Adam might have expected. Most probably got out soon as they realized they were hopelessly outnumbered.

All of the citizens who had not escaped were being rounded up and any who fought back were then 'dealt with' by the puppets that were these creatures of Grimm. Adam had watched as one such man struck a beast from behind. The man was instantly set upon, but for some reason additional monsters had then advanced on his family. To Adam's horror, the man's wife was gone before he could so much as blink. But their daughter, who had watched all this happen, screamed and ran off. An Ursa tore after her as Adam yelled futile commands for it to stop.

When team RWBY had been surrounded by Grimm, Adam made the doctor call them off temporarily. Once done, the old man had made it very clear that he shouldn't expect any more help from _him_. Resigned to that fact, Adam had raced after the beast, intent on killing it before it could harm the child. He lost it quickly, however, and searched for a long stretch of time before traipsing out onto the sea docks.

He found two corpses there; one was an Ursa on its back with a stab wound to the top of the head – most likely the one that had run off. The other had been mutilated so far beyond recognition that Adam had a hard time deciding what creature of Grimm it had been whilst alive. One thing was certain; the little girl was not there. _'Let's hope she's safe,'_ Adam had thought.

The despondent part of his thought process made him shudder at the possibilities of what might have happened to the child had she _not_ gotten away. While Adam may have prevented as much harm as possible, he still received reports of bloodshed and of men – not under his command – occasionally raping citizens. This all brought a question, full of disgust, to the forefront of his mind; _'Why?'_ Despite Blake's successful escape, Adam felt anger well up inside.

As he brooded over the painfully fresh memories, Adam's ship flew towards Beacon. Torchwick had gone there at the beginning with several men and a hundred Grimm. They had all swept through the school, ruthlessly eliminating of most of the teachers and even some of the students that remained on campus, despite their current break. With most of the place in a shambles, Roman had setup his headquarters, calling Adam in to make a report.

In a short amount of time, his ship had landed and Adam was walking into the once prestigious academy. He asked after Torchwick and was directed to the Headmaster's office. _'Typical,'_ Adam thought to himself.

He entered, pausing momentarily as his eyes quickly adjusted to the dinginess of the room. A lot of it had been trashed, apparently for no good reason, and dust floated in the streams of light that poured in from the small, high windows. There was no other light but what came in from outside. It offered a foreboding feel, making the hairs on the back of Adam's neck stand on end.

Roman was sitting in a large winged armchair with his feet up on a huge desk. At his sides were two guards, stood back behind out of his sight. When he heard the door shut, Roman looked up from the scroll he'd been examining and smiled. "Ah, Adam, glad you could make it!"

_'He makes this sound like a fucking party._ Adam merely nodded his head in acknowledgment.

"You'll never guess who we got our hands on!" Roman laughed gleefully.

"Who?"

"The Vale Prime Minister!" Roman looked about ready to laugh, which made Adam's gut churn in disgust.

"That's great…"

"Yes, I know!" He put his feet on the ground then as his face went to a more composed expression. "And as you might have seen from our reports," Roman began, looking down at his scroll once again, "We've captured several registered hunters, though not as many as I'd hoped." He scrolled through a list of names with a disappointed look on his face. "Still, it's nice of them to keep that information on public record, don't you think?"

Adam only nodded and gave a half smile in return.

"Well then, how did everything on _your_ end go? Did you get what I asked for?" Torchwick leaned forward, clearly excited.

"I'm afraid not." Roman's face fell dramatically, "Team RWBY was not at the Schnee Manor like we expected. Instead they were in the park with the cops."

His face changed into a confused expression. "What were they doing there? They weren't killed, were they? I swear, if the ships have shot those four to pieces..!" He let the unstated threat hang in the air.

"Two of them escaped," Adam paused, hoping that his _next_ bit of news, while tragic, would anger Torchwick further. "The rest were crushed by a ship."

Roman's eyebrows furrowed in anger. "Those damn girls can't even _die_ when they're supposed to!" He slammed a fist onto the desk in frustration.

There was silence then, broken only by the distant sounds of the siege coming to an end. Roman rested his chin on his hands and sighed. "I had such big plans for them all," He sounded like a man who had been deprived of a rare prize, which _technically_ he was. "If I had at least gotten _one_ of them, this all might have gone according to plan."

Another sigh as Roman leaned back in the chair and placed his hand over his eyes, disappointment evident. "Well, I guess we won't need to stay here for much longer. We'll empty the city of its valuables and slip off. The Grimm will remain until we're all safely hidden away." He slid his hand down his face and starred at the desk, still caught up in thought.

Adam was pleased that Roman was upset and also that this campaign might end sooner than he previously imagined. The question he'd felt earlier, however, still rang in his mind. _'Why did so many have to die? Why was so much bloodshed needed just to do some heist? Why does this sick excuse for a '_man_' feel no regret other than for his missed opportunity? Why?!'_

His anger was rising as Roman began to discuss the plans to wrap up this farce. Adam listened and spoke when needed in order to conceal the desire he felt to draw his sword and lop off the orange haired head. _'Another time, maybe,_'

Just then, the door opened and some thug walked in. "Sir we have something we think you might like!"

Roman sighed once more in exasperation, "You're not paid to 'think', you idiot! Why would _I_ want whatever _you've_ found?"

Just then more men came in, dragging the bound, gagged and unconscious forms of three people. Adam's stomach dropped at the sight of them. One was a faunus with a tail, another was a woman with long blonde hair and the last was a shorter woman with white hair. They were the three that Adam had thought to be dead.

Roman's face broke into a large smile as he immediately recognized them. He jumped to his feet, grabbed his cane and limped around to stand in front of the large desk. "When we got the airship off the ground, we found 'em just lying there, knocked out!" The man sounded stupid and incredibly slow.

The previous feeling of peace Adam felt was dashed as he realized that the original plan was now back on. He didn't wish these people dead, but their deaths would have meant the survival of many others.

Roman's eyes narrowed as he looked at them. "Are they even alive?" Their slumped forms _did_ seem oddly corpse-like.

A smarter looking thug with a medical scanner spoke up. "Their auras are almost depleted, but yes, they're alive."

"Good, but all the same, let's get that drug ready." Roman pointed to the case the medical thug was holding as he spoke. He walked over to the faunus then. "Why is _he_ here?"

Adam spoke, "He was with team RWBY in the park. I'm not sure why."

Roman looked at his scroll and flipped though some pages quickly before finding what he was searching for. "Ah yes, Sun Wukong, affiliate of RWBY's and leader of Libra; the anti-White Fang organization." He turned and grinned at Adam who nodded his acknowledgment of the faunus.

After reading a bit more from the scroll in silence, Roman laughed. "It would appear he's the beau to one of our resident Hunters we found! I think we should reunite them. I love a good romance story!" He gave quick instructions to one of the thugs who ran out a moment later.

Roman exhaled excitedly then, as if this were a moment he'd been awaiting for a long time. "Wake them up!" A thug cracked open some smelling salt and thrust it under each nose in turn. Soon, all were groggily rolling their heads.

Adam had never met these people in person – though at one point he'd almost run into the faunus – but he knew all their names. Their faces, along with many others, had been shown to him before the attack. The one named Weiss opened her eyes first, attempting to make sense of her surroundings, no doubt.

She looked around the room for a minute before locking eyes immediately with Torchwick. She suddenly began to yank at her bound wrists and shout into her gag. Roman laughed, "It's good to see you too, Miss Schnee. It's been _some_ time, hasn't it?"

In answer, Weiss got her feet beneath her and attempted to run at Torchwick, no doubt screaming profanities into her gag. The thug holding onto her pulled back, making her stumble. She refrained from trying to attack Roman again, simply glaring at him with enough force to almost give life to the phrase 'If looks could kill'.

Roman laughed at her show of force, moving to the taller, blonde woman, who had gotten to her feet. "Ah, Yang. I must say, you're far more beautiful than I remember."

The sight of the blonde up close reminded Adam of a particular detail he'd picked up. _'Yang. So this is Blake's… Lover.'_ The realization caused Adam to look at her closely. He could understand why Blake would fall for her; she _was_ gorgeous. Adam felt a sudden rush of protectiveness towards the woman, no doubt due to her connection with Blake.

When he was done speaking, Roman reached out and rudely groped one of Yang's breasts. Her reaction of anger made Roman's laughter double from his previous mirth. After a futile attempt to get at Roman, her eyes began to burn red and her hair glowed as if beginning to catch fire; the stories of her semblance weren't understated.

"Uh-uh-uh, we can't be having that now, can we?" Torchwick gestured to the smart thug who produced a syringe, walked up to Yang and injected something into her neck. Immediately, her hair became a normal blonde, her eyes returned to lilac and she sagged slightly in the grip of the man holding her up.

"It suppresses your aura and semblance," Torchwick said by way of answer to the confused look on Yang's face. The man with the syringe went to the other two and repeated the process, making them both those their footing for a second as an outside strength they didn't realize was there vanished.

Roman finally went to the faunus. "Sun Wukong," Sun merely glowered at Torchwick. "I wasn't expecting to find you with _them_." He gestured to Yang and Weiss. "Apparently you may know my friend, Adam, here." Roman waved his hand over to where Adam stood.

While they may never have come face to face, they both knew of each other. Against his better judgment, Adam stepped forward and nodded briefly. He would rather have kept his involvement in this secret to these three, ashamed as he was with what had happened so far, let alone what had yet to come.

Roman laughed as he said, sarcastically, "And he's clearly overjoyed to see you!" He looked back at Sun then. "You know what else I know about you?" So far, he hadn't reacted to anything, simply remaining stone faced. Roman bent down and spoke into his ear, "I found out about your little bunny girl, and you know where she is right now?" Sun growled and bit into his gag, hate beginning to seethe in his eyes. "She's been captured by my men, and she's on her way here right now!"

As if on cue, the door opened once more and the man that had left walked in, dragging another person into the room with him. The person was kicking and shouting, though obviously gagged like the rest. "This one's putting up quite the little fight," Laughed the thug holding the woman. Her brown hair matched perfectly to the color of the large bunny ears on the top of her head.

"Well why don't you do something about that?" Said Roman, pointedly.

Shrugging, the man pulled the faunus woman in front of him and punched her in the gut twice. Adam clenched his jaw and began to breathe slowly in and out, attempting to reign in his anger. Sun's reaction was far more violent, however. Upon seeing the man hit the faunus, he began to fight the man holding him in place. He fought so hard that Roman frowned and gestured to another thug. The man stepped forward and punched Sun in the gut several time, and once across the face for good measure.

Even after the unfair beating, Sun remained on his feet, eyes flashing between Torchwick and the newcomer. Roman looked at the rabbit eared girl, who no longer fought but slumped in the arms of her attacker, thoroughly defeated. "You must be Velvet." He put his hand under her chin and made her look him in the face. "My, you're a pretty one," Roman leaned in and rudely sniffed at her, "Smell good, too… For an animal," Sun growled louder through his gag just as Adam's grip tightened on the hilt of his sword. _'You bastard!'_

Torchwick laughed, "It says here," Roman pointed at his scroll, "That you're a trouble maker. I hope I've demonstrated my power well enough to squander any of those kind of thought." He smiled venomously then, before laughing at Sun's continued angry expression. "Take these two away, for now. Lock them in different dorms; we don't want them to get _too _comfortable." He smiled as Sun and Velvet were dragged off.

Yang and Weiss watched all this in silence, clearly waiting for when Roman's attention would return to them.

Adam watched as Torchwick took in a deep breath and turned his back on them. "Now, the one thing you must be asking yourself is _why." _He turned then to grin at Weiss. "_Why_ I broke out of prison, _why _I've had you brought here, _why _I attacked an _entire_ city." Adam concurred with his assumption.

He took a step forward, "You see, Weiss, ever since that day, I can't take two steps without pain shooting up my leg." He tapped his right leg with his cane before resting it on his shoulder. "Prison is rough enough, but with a broken leg, it's one hell of a bitch."

Weiss smiled through her gag then, apparently pleased with what Roman had said. Roman sneered at her, "Do you find that funny?" No answer; her smile faded as she stared him in the face. "Well, how funny will it be if I do this?"

Adam watched as Roman grasped both hands around the handle of his cane and swung it swiftly towards Weiss' left knee. When it made contact, a scream tore from her mouth which was muffled by her gag as Weiss slunk down. The man holding her kept her off the ground easily enough. After a few seconds, she began to lightly shake, undoubtedly due to the pain. Adam stared in hatred, thumb nail scratching circles into his sword handle.

Roman crouched down so that he looked up into Weiss' low hung face. He spoke then, almost inaudibly from where Adam stood and watched. "I attacked Vale for _this_," He grabbed the knee he had struck and squeezed, eliciting a much shakier scream than before. "For revenge. And believe me when I say this is only the beginning; I have much more planned for you."

He straightened up and nodded to the men holding Weiss and Yang. "Take them away." The two girls were dragged from the room, Weiss grunting lightly as her injured leg was jostled.

Torchwick looked happier than Adam had ever seen him, which was disgusting. "This is perfect! I was, of course, hopping to get all four, but I can work with this. I should be able to lure the remaining two here after a while. Hunters and Huntresses all have hero complexes; constantly making stupid decisions for loved ones or the innocent."

He gave a mirthless laugh as he sat once more in the great chair. Just then, one of the men approached the desk, "Um, sir? Can I make a request?"

"I'm not sure. _Can _you?" Roman sneered.

The man gulped and continued. "Well sir, some of the men… And myself, were wondering if we could… You know… The blonde," He gestured over his shoulder at the door that Yang and Weiss were just dragged through. Adam's gut clenched as he caught the meaning of the man's ramblings.

Roman seemed to understand as well, because he gave a dry chuckle and leaned back in his chair. "Why not? Go for it, but just this once. She is, _technically_ a VIP, so this can't happen all the time."

The man was about to leave, a sickening grin on his face, when Roman shouted out. "Don't you _dare_ kill her? You won't like the punishment for that." The man nodded and left.

Suddenly, Adam found that he wanted nothing more than to leave this dark, dingy office. He may not know Yang, but he definitely felt protective towards her. Roman was talking to him, though. He was rambling on about cameras and filming things in the city and the buildings used to house citizen hostages. Adam waited impatiently for him to finish, his gut churning the longer he stood there.

Finally, Roman dismissed him, and Adam walked calmly out the door. Once outside, he grabbed the guard standing off to the right, slammed him up against the wall and growled, "Where'd they take her?"

"Th-th-that way! They turned right at the corner!" The frightened man pointed as he spoke. Adam threw him to the ground and ran. He rounded the corner and began to listen intently for any indication of where they might be. After nearly a minute, Adam began to worry he wouldn't find them, then he heard laughter from one of the rooms. He ran to the door and flung it open.

The sight that greeted him made Adam's blood boil. Two men were holding Yang down on a table, while a third – the one who had talked with Torchwick – was attempting to undo his pants. Yang's shorts were halfway down her legs and she weakly tugged at the men holding her down, angry sounds of protest being muffled by her gag.

The three men froze as they looked up at the sound of the door banging open. Adam's lip curled in disgust as he stepped forward, placing his hand on the hilt his sword. "You have until I reach two, to make a smart decision." He slowly drew the blade, the sound of screeching metal reverberating throughout the room. "One…"

-**Weiss**-

Pain. Blinding pain was all that Weiss was aware of as the thugs dragged her and Yang down one of the hallways of Beacon. They weren't gentle about it, so Weiss had to twist her body so that her right leg took most of the abuse as she slid along the hard floor. Even so, the rough transport sent shock waves all through her, causing her knee to practically scream in protest. The feeling was like a thousand knives stabbing repeatedly into the same spot.

After ages of pain that made Weiss think this hallway must be leading to hell or worse because of how long it seemed, the men opened a door and pulled Weiss and Yang inside. Weiss was thrown against the far wall, and Yang stumbled as she was shoved in the same direction.

The men were just about to leave when another one walked up from outside. Weiss watched through bleary eyes as the man said something to the other two. He pointed into the room and after a few more words one of them came in with a grin and grabbed Yang by her bonds.

Yang began to fight back, almost nocking the man to the ground as he attempted to pull her from the room. The two others came in and helped the first by picking Yang up off the ground and walking out of the room with her. Her muffled shouts of protest could be heard even when the door to the dorm was slammed shut.

Weiss lay still and silent, waiting for the pain to become something constant that she could handle. She felt so impaired that she could hardly form a coherent thought to wonder why Yang had been taken, or where they had taken her. All Weiss felt through the pain was worry. Worry for her friend, for where they were and for whatever could have happened to Ruby and Blake.

After a while she found the strength to sit upright against the wall, inhaling sharply as she stretched her left leg out in front. Her knee was swollen, pressing tight against the pant leg. Weiss didn't think it was broken, but more than likely dislocated. In her current position; hands tied behind her back, knee throbbing and overall physically depleted, there was no way she'd be able to set the joint.

She leaned her head back and closed her eyes, trying to block out the near agony. Above the pain, there was one emotion that clouded out most other things; confusion. _'What the hell is going on? How can Roman be doing all this? Where did he get the men? How is he able to use the Grimm like soldiers?'_

Too many questions were racing around Weiss' mind, causing her headache – that had originated from the pain in her leg – to become almost unbearable. She groaned and leaned forward, resting her chin on her chest. She could feel tears forcing their way through her lids, and Weiss didn't have the strength to hold them back.

_'Ruby.' _Just when Weiss had finally convinced Ruby to remain in Vale, something she'd wanted ever since she first admitted to being in love with her, they were torn apart. Anger and shock filled the places in her heart that had once held Ruby's love and affection.

Back in the park, Weiss had known something was wrong as soon she saw the outrageous number of cops. Though she would never have guessed what the real issue was. When the ship began to fire, it was sheer luck none of the rounds hit either her or Blake. But their small victory when the gun fire ceased was short lived. Because then the Grimm had come. There had been no escape, monsters were coming in from all sides and, at times, it was all they could do to keep the beasts back.

When Weiss had seen Ruby, she felt like she was back in Beacon; heart racing, butterflies fluttering and temper rising in spite of the joy of seeing the love of her life. Part of her wanted to scold her for the dangerous entrance she had made, but those desires had fled as soon as she felt her warm arms wrap around her.

Those warm arms weren't there now, leaving Weiss feeling cold. She was cold and in pain and above all she was alone. The one thing she thought she'd finally overcome and here it was, staring her in the face. _'Why?'_

'T_orchwick!__'_ Weiss opened her eyes and glared at the floor of the dorm, the now angry tears dripping off her chin. Roman was responsible for all of this. He brought in the ships and the Grimm, he killed those cops and who knows how many other innocents throughout the city. _He_ stole away her prize, _he_ tore Ruby from her.

_'He's going to die. I don't care if I walk a thousand miles or more to see it done. I'll fight through hordes of Grimm to see it __happen. I__'ll do whatever it takes, because I _will_ see that man dead.'_ Content with that thought, Weiss tried to rest.

After nearly ten minutes, or maybe an hour, the door opened. Weiss had been sitting silently, amusing herself with the many imaginative ways she could 'end' Roman, and had forgotten all about her fellow captives. '_Yang!'_ Weiss had completely forgotten about her getting taken away, and now that she had some of her wits she was able to guess why they had taken her. _'Oh my God!'_

Yang was stone faced, hiding all emotion as she entered the room. She was not accompanied by the original three men, but by a man dressed in black and red. She had recognized Adam Taurus as soon as she'd laid eyes on him back in the headmaster's office. He was supporting Yang as she walk, leading her over to Weiss and untying her bonds before leaving.

At the door, he turned and addressed the floor by Yang's feet. "I'm sorry, I–" He sounded like he wanted to say more, but instead he simply bowed his head and left.

Yang slid down to the floor by Weiss, not saying a word as she removed her gag and rubbed the marks on her wrists. Weiss stared at her, concern evident on her face. Yang must have felt her stare because she looked over. After a moment of brief eye contact, Yang shifted over and made Weiss lean forward slightly, reaching behind her to untie her bound wrists.

Weiss spit as she pulled the gag out of her mouth, working her jaw to relieve the tension there. She rested her back against the wall once more, waiting to see if Yang would do or say anything else. She didn't.

For a long time they sat in silence, waiting for the bang that would signal an end to their shared nightmare. It never came.

Weiss adjusted her position and gasped in shock as pain shot up her leg. Yang turned her head again and stared at Weiss' knee for a moment. Then she slid over and knelt in front of her. She lightly touched the leg, and through her touch Weiss could feel what was wrong. The kneecap was off to the right several more inches than she would have liked and Yang knew it.

Yang grabbed one of the thick cords of rope on the floor and passed it over. Immediately putting it between her teeth, Weiss watched as Yang gripped her leg with both hands. In one swift motion, Yang slid the kneecap back into place, eliciting a short scream of pain from Weiss as she bit down into the rope.

Her eyes glazed over with fresh tears and her breathing spiked. After a good minute or so, her heart rate slowed and she opened her eyes. Weiss looked down at Yang then. She had her hands on the ground on either side of Weiss' legs and she was staring at the bit of floor between them. Looking closely, Weiss noticed tears falling, and the light shaking of Yang's frame.

Weiss swallowed as a feeling of absolute shock coursed through her. Yang had always been the strong one of their team, always the one to laugh it off when things got bad. No matter what, she was always either happy or happily angry. This evident grief that poured from her went against nature. It wasn't right and it scared Weiss.

"Yang?" There was silence for a moment, and then a choked sob slipped from Yang. She leaned forward, placing the top of her head in Weiss' lap and bringing her hands up to grip her own hair. Yang broke then, letting go completely and simply pouring her emotions onto Weiss.

Beyond shocked, Weiss tentatively rubber her back, slowly pulling Yang in closer until she held her in her arms. Her own ever-present tears began to make their way down her cheeks once more.

Again, as Yang gripped fistfuls of Weiss' shirt and continued to sob, that one unanswerable question returned to her. _'Why?'_

-**Ruby**-

Ruby was humming, her cheek resting on a crown of golden hair. From where she sat, the occasional spray of mist would hit her as the boat tore across water. Blake stood at the controls, keeping them heading towards the nearly invisible setting sun. In Ruby's head, there was a thrumming, caused by a storm of confusion, grief and utter shock. She looked down at the small blonde in her lap, her throat going thick at the increasingly familiar sight.

In her arms was a young girl, curled up with her head resting against Ruby's shoulder. The child's breath was shaky and whenever the boat hit a wave she would wince. Ruby watched her; the feeling of helplessness that had begun earlier that day caused almost unendurable torment. She wished she could do something right then, do _anything_ to help. But the towel in Ruby's hand was too full of blood to staunch the flow at this point.

There had been no first aid kit on the boat and no chance of taking her to a hospital after the city fell. So Ruby was forced to watch as this innocent child received far less than what she deserved. _'How could this happen? _Why _did it happen?'_

**(v)  
**

Ruby didn't see it when the airship crashed into the ground. Blake was pulling her away and the roar of metal hitting solid ground along with a burst of heat from the flames were the only indicators of what had happened.

She turned and stared, mind going temporarily blank. Her thoughts returned to her soon, though, and she swiftly attempted to run to the burning debris. Suddenly, an arm around her midriff halted her with a grunt.

"_No_, Ruby, we can't! There's no time!" Blake had stopped her. She was pulling Ruby away from the park as she shouted.

Shock and anger filled Ruby's heart. "What are you doing? Stop! We have to help them! Let me go!" She began to struggle, trying futilely to return to the wreckage.

"The Grimm are moving again. We _have_ to leave!" Blake's usual calm demeanor wasn't in check. She sounded as though pulling Ruby across the street and away from the park was causing her pain of the most excruciating kind.

"I don't care! We have to help them! Fucking let me go!" Ruby's vision was going slightly blurry for some reason. Blake pulled her into an alley, grabbed her by the shoulders and thrust her up against the wall. The air was temporarily knocked out of her and she went quiet.

"We can't help them, Ruby! There's _nothing_ we can do!" Blake's face was screwed up in anger and exhaustion, a fierce glimmer in her amber eyes. Ruby looked at her pleadingly, chest rising and falling rapidly. "Right now you need to straighten up and focus! The two of us need to get the hell out of here in one piece, okay? We're no use to the dead if we join them!"

_'The dead?'_ Those words made Ruby's mind go blank. She couldn't get them to make sense. _'What does she mean, dead? Who died?'_

Blake grabbed her hand then and began to pull her away. Ruby had no idea where they were going, as everything she saw passed by in a blur. On several occasions, Blake let go of Ruby's hand to leave her standing still starring at the ground. Whenever that happened, the sounds of the faunus shouting accompanied those of combat.

Ruby would just stand there though, unable to make her muscles react until Blake's hand was back in hers. On the last time this happened, Blake's hand was wet and she groaned lightly as she pulled.

"Keep moving, Ruby! We're almost there." Ruby simply couldn't make out what Blake might mean. _'Almost where? Our lives are back _there_!'_ But their trek continued even farther in the opposite direction they needed to be going.

After an eternity, Blake stopped pulling Ruby and said, "We're here." Some part of her mind that was still alert noticed that the ground she stood on was moving, and that the sound of water was all around. But she was still confused, a myriad of thoughts and emotions battling for her attention. She almost let herself fall down right then, had it not been for the earsplitting scream that rent the air a moment later.

All thoughts of Blake's words and what they might imply were gone. All blurriness wiped away. Clarity resonated from the scream Ruby had heard, because whoever had loosed it needed help.

Ruby whirled, suddenly aware that she stood in the back of a speedboat. The docks were in front of her and beyond them were the streets of Vale. In the middle of the street was a young girl, no more than nine or ten, running hell bent towards the two huntresses. Behind her was an Ursa with arms outstretched, a growl rippling from the back of its throat.

Anger welled up in Ruby's gut at the terrified expression on the child's face. A growl of her own tore free as she pulled out Crescent Rose leapt from the boat and launched herself towards the feral creature. She flew over the little girl, who ducked, and landed on the shoulders of the Ursa. In one swift move she slid out her dagger and stabbed it through the top of its head.

Ruby rolled to her feet, her eye wide and her breath coming in and out quickly as the monster fell down behind her. She looked for the girl then and found her ten meters off, crouched with her hands over her head. When she saw that the Ursa was dead she straightened up and made to run towards Ruby, who stepped forward to grab her.

They had barely taken a single step each when a Boarbatusk flew out from an alley and rammed into the girl, sending her crashing into a street bench with a scream. Surprised and beyond infuriated, Ruby flashed behind the Grimm, raised her weapon and pulled the trigger.

Her initial intent was to kill the beast. But as she reloaded and continued to fire, muscles vibrating and heart pounding, Ruby knew the feeling of rage as it controlled her. As the last few rounds tore into the long dead creature of Grimm, turning it ever more into an indistinguishable pile of gore, a tortured scream ripped from her. Ruby stumbled back, her lungs fighting a battle of their own as she panted for air. Faint wetness could be felt on her left cheek as the ghost of impossible tears slid down her right.

Remembering the little girl, Ruby stumbled over to her and knelt down by her crumpled body. She lay next to the bench with her knees pulled up almost to her chest, shaking and moaning quietly. There were traces of blood all around and Ruby's breath was shaky as she spoke, "Hold on, you're gonna be alright." The little girl gave a slight bob of her head as her eyes scrunched shut.

When Ruby scooped her into her arms, she saw that the girl's shirt was soaked in blood. She glanced around; her first instinct was to rush her to a hospital. But the far off screams and sounds of Grimm told her that wouldn't be a possibility.

The next thing she knew, Blake was by her side, "We need to take her with us. We can't stay here!" Ruby nodded and Blake helped her walk back to the boat, which was rumbling with life. When in, Blake ran to the controls and set them heading west at top speed as Ruby sank down with the child in her arms.

The girl was shuddering, as if cold, so Ruby wrapped her in her cloak. The closer she held her, the quieter the girl's moaning was, until finally she only grunted when jostled by the boat. The sight of the girl bleeding out in front of her was more than Ruby could handle. But somehow, she held it together, refusing to fall apart in front of the child. _'This shouldn't be happening, she doesn't deserve this.'_

After a while the girl spoke up, catching Ruby off guard. "Where are we going?"

Ruby looked at her, a faint burning feeling started behind her eye at the pain that distorted her sweet voice. "We're going to Signal Academy," Blake hadn't told her where they were bound, but Ruby knew out of instinct.

She watched as Blake's black trench coat billowed out behind her while she steered one-handed – the other she held close to her body. Some part of Ruby wanted to hate Blake for dragging her off and yet another part – the part that had wised up – knew why she did it and that it was necessary. Before she could come up with a counter argument as to why hating Blake made sense, the little girl spoke up again.

"What's your name?"

Ruby looked at her, slightly confused, "I – it's… Ruby,"

The girl smiled, "I have a friend named Ruby," She grunted then as the boat shook them.

"You have a lucky friend," Ruby said with a grin.

"I think so," the little girl said, smiling back through a grimace of pain. "My name is Serra,"

Ruby's chest tightened at the growing fondness she felt for the girl. "That's a pretty name, it– it suits you." Aware that the patch on her face might unnerve Serra, Ruby shifted her hair to cover it. She was a lot more attentive than Ruby gave her credit for, however, because she spotted the movement.

"Where'd you get– ngh– that?"

Ruby exhaled slowly, "I was injured… In a fight. My– friends gave it to me." For some reason she had almost said family; that word would have sent her over the edge.

"You're a huntress, aren't you?"

Ruby nodded, "Yep,"

Serra's eyes widened. "How long have you been one?" Her inquisitive nature made Ruby smile inwardly.

"Right now, it feels like forever,"

"I've always wanted to be a Huntress." There was a moment of silence wherein Serra squeezed her eyes shut as she experienced a spasm of pain. Her hands clenched fistfuls of Ruby's sleeves. Ruby held her tighter until the pain passed and her eyes opened. "Can you… Can you tell me about it?"

In the back of Ruby's mind, she took note of the amount of blood mixed with water that puddled on the floor of the boat. That part of her felt that they needed to reach Signal soon. But as she quickly scanned the horizon, she knew there wasn't much hope.

Returning her gaze to Serra, Ruby thought about her question before letting a small grin slide onto her face, "It's amazing. Few things are better. When you know _why_ you're doing it, and _how_ to do it, it's one of the best feelings you could ever have."

Ruby told Serra more about being a Huntress. She told her about Crescent Rose, her semblance and aura, some things she learned in school and so on. She left out mention of her team, knowing she wouldn't be able to give adequate detail.

In the end, Ruby must have spent over a half hour talking, but Serra listened to every word. When she was done, Serra began to tell her about her friends and her family. She giggled through some stories, but began to tear up when she spoke of her mom and dad.

She told Ruby about how her father tried to fight off the Grimm when they came to take them. As soon as he hit one on the back they had converged on him and her mother. Serra had barely made it out in time, chased all the way to the docks by the Ursa.

"They're gone now, I watched it happen. And now I'm–" Serra choked on the last few words.

"_You_ are going to be fine!" Ruby said, insistently. She locked her gaze with Serra, making the false words seem almost possible.

Serra looked at her, appearing somewhat surprised. But this girl was clever, and she spotted the pain in Ruby's words despite the fierceness she had thought would mask it. She smiled lightly as she grabbed Ruby's hand, "Thank you, Ruby. You've been kind to me." Ruby could feel the thrumming in her mind channeling down through her body, making her lips quiver as she took in a sharp breath.

The grip Serra had on her hand constricted as her eyes shut tight. Her breath shook and she attempted to bury her face in Ruby's arm. When the pain passed she looked up. "Do you like music, Ruby?" Her pale face seemed almost pleading.

Ruby felt moisture on her cheek, and she gave a light laugh at the question. "I _love_ music,"

Serra smiled, "Do you think, you could…" her breath was shaky, "Could you sing me a song?"

Ruby took in a shuddering breath, as her eye widened in surprise. As she thought of all the songs that she listened to she knew that none of them were suitable to sooth a little girl. But then she remembered a song that Weiss always hummed under her breath, one that seemed to relax Ruby. She didn't know the words but she knew the tune, and immediately began to hum as loud as possible. She pulled Serra closer and rested her cheek on the top of her head so that the song could be felt even when she wasn't loud enough.

The boat sailed on; the light of the cloud-covered sun was practically gone. Ruby hummed, holding Serra's hand, letting the girl squeeze it as tight as was needed.

Finally the boat came to a stop, and Blake flipped off the engine, running to the back. Ruby sat there, cradling Serra's head as she hummed.

Ruby continued to hum as Blake knelt down beside her. She had hummed all through Serra squeezing her hand, all through the jostling of the boat, all through the pain. She continued to hum as Blake place a hand on her shoulder and said it was time. Because she had continued to hum even after the tight grip on her hand had vanished, after the limbs in her lap had gone slack, after Serra had left her… Along with everyone else. Nothing was left to her but the song and the ever expanding hole in her heart.

Ruby stopped humming as she looked up at Blake, her face pleading the question that burned in her mind. _'Why?_'

Then two arms were gently wrapped around her and the cold, angry steel of emptiness settled in her soul.


End file.
